Douglas Witmer
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
new drawings
(click each to enlarge)
In 2006 I began to work with some old school-grade tablet paper someone gave me. It's a unique surface. Responsive, but very fragile. I have an understanding with it. Chris Ashley and I also have used this paper a lot for our collaborations. I currently have a new batch going. The images above comprise drawings made from 2006 through a few days ago. (Incidentally, this group also makes up my application to the 2008 Fleisher Challenge...wish me luck!)
Labels: drawing, my work, paper
13.3.08 
6 Comments:
Nice. Need any prescription slips?
By 
GIERSCHICK, at
3/13/2008
Great to see more of this paper being used, very nice to see more drawings. I really like that one with the blue on the top right. And I'm curious about the green one beneath it- that's a weird color, and it looks like there is some painting coming through from the back.
Also, nice to see someone who know how to use the word "comprise" correctly.
By Chris Ashley, at
3/13/2008
I really like this group of drawings/ paintings. I sense a little messiness in your work that I haven't seen before, and I'm curious what that's about. I mean, you've done things with sort of drippy paint and layers, but I haven't seen unclean lines and bleeding like this kind of paper seems to produce.
That's all. I like it. melissa
Chris--what you describe as green is actually black, or very dark grey. That piece was photographed with my camera vs. the others which were scanned. The scanner could not differentiate the black square within the dark grey black wash. I'm seeing how super-saturated the paper can get without falling apart. That's why that one looks that way.
Melissa--thanks for your sharp observations. Regarding the messiness...there's something about control vs. lack thereof that's interesting. Also just trying to work naturally in concert with the materials, specifically this paper that has a certain way of responding. And I'm interested in decay, too. With this cheap, non-archival, already kind of discolored paper, I'm able to allow the rectangular forms to bleed. The paper also tears easily. In the end I want them to look old and wrecked, the rectangles as if at some point their edges failed and could no longer hold the color within. It's another kind of experience that is different from my paintings on canvas and as I said, it's very dictated by the paper.
By Douglas Witmer, at
3/14/2008
I don't have the wit tonight to be very analytical about these - simply, I really like 'em! The color really is having its way with the material, dominating it. I like both the obvious fragility of the paper and the thin lines.
By 
daryl shawn, at
3/16/2008
I really like these new drawings! I like when austerity in the mark making meets the happenstance from the rips of the page. Within this they offer quite a range of emotional tonalities. Looking forward to seeing more.