Puzzled by the diversity of my work, people often ask which
medium and which style is my favorite. If I had to chose one
tool and one way to express my experience of life, I would
chose a pencil and my sketchbook in which to draw orbs and
organic shapes in space.
For many years my sketchbooks were filled with the struggle
to draw realistically, the struggle to see the world as objects
rather than shapes and patterns of light and dark. I rarely
used my sketchbook to draw the orbs, ribbons and
button-like shapes that automatically come from my pencil
when I'm not thinking about drawing. As a child, I filled the
pages of the telephone book with these delightful marks. I left
these marks behind on napkins and placemats when I
traveled. These shapes that move through space have been
a part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember.
Yet, I never honored these constant companions with a place
on a page in a sketchbook or on a canvas. The first time I
allowed them to become a painting was during the summer of
2003.
On December 31, 2005 I opened the cover of a new
sketchbook, picked up a pencil and was immediately
distracted. When I glanced at the marks my pencil had made,
I saw the familiar orbs and saucer-like forms drawn faintly on
the page. The time had come to embrace these shapes and
to follow wherever they might lead. A journal drawing,
allowing the drawing itself to inspire each mark, become a
daily meditation. Surprisingly, the meditative practice led
back to the figure and a serious study of the skeleton to allow
the figures to emerge from the paper with movement in space
without a model.
medium and which style is my favorite. If I had to chose one
tool and one way to express my experience of life, I would
chose a pencil and my sketchbook in which to draw orbs and
organic shapes in space.
For many years my sketchbooks were filled with the struggle
to draw realistically, the struggle to see the world as objects
rather than shapes and patterns of light and dark. I rarely
used my sketchbook to draw the orbs, ribbons and
button-like shapes that automatically come from my pencil
when I'm not thinking about drawing. As a child, I filled the
pages of the telephone book with these delightful marks. I left
these marks behind on napkins and placemats when I
traveled. These shapes that move through space have been
a part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember.
Yet, I never honored these constant companions with a place
on a page in a sketchbook or on a canvas. The first time I
allowed them to become a painting was during the summer of
2003.
On December 31, 2005 I opened the cover of a new
sketchbook, picked up a pencil and was immediately
distracted. When I glanced at the marks my pencil had made,
I saw the familiar orbs and saucer-like forms drawn faintly on
the page. The time had come to embrace these shapes and
to follow wherever they might lead. A journal drawing,
allowing the drawing itself to inspire each mark, become a
daily meditation. Surprisingly, the meditative practice led
back to the figure and a serious study of the skeleton to allow
the figures to emerge from the paper with movement in space
without a model.
| Sketchbook of Orbs and Figures - Chris Carter - Artist |
