Two pears - 2024 12 20

 

Acrylic ink on cardstock paper - 4" x 6"

Many years ago I attended an art exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. It was a collection of drawings by European masters. I was fascinated by the use of a coloured ground to build both light and dark tones into shapes and meaning.

Today I applied a layer of tinted Titanium White ink and a cool mix of oranges and blues to give a layer of rich grey. The paper itself is a brown cardboard colour, providing a coloured ground. The Titanium White was mixed with water in a sequence of intensity. The ink was applied with a glass pen and then 4 different brushes, scaling from fine to a 1/2" flat. I would add 1mm of water to the mix each time I changed the brush size. 

As the drawing progresses, my hand loosens up and the lines take on a more dynamic, expressive feel. I honestly don't know exactly what the drawing is trying to tell me as I am making it. I just have to trust that it will make sense to me if I continue to work with it. At this point I am enjoying the layering of the white and the grey, and how the coloured ground of the paper shows up as the midpoint between the two tones. 

The two pears are sitting side by side, orientated toward the window, as if they are looking out at what is going on beyond the pane of glass. Their stems are bent inquisitively toward the outside and toward each other. As if they are discussing what they are observing in the world, making meaning of their experience through the dialogic process of putting their experience into words. But pears can't talk, we know that, but still, my imagination sees them talking and discussing, making sense of their experience so they can figure out what to do next.

Scanning the drawing increases the intensity of the colours - the original work does not have as much contrast. I love the organic feeling of pen and brush marks on a digital screen. These marks are antithetical to the infinite replication of machine production. These marks are unique in and of the moment they were created. They will last long after the digital files can no longer be accessed by newer technology.