Stopped Short 03 Drawing

These pieces were eventually going to be part of my Sketches series, but I stopped short. I just like them the way they are and I didn’t want to turn them into “Sketches.” Below is an excerpt from my artist statement for the Sketches pieces but only up until the point where I stopped with these. “I started these pieces with a physical sketch on linoleum block. I quickly cut away into this block. The repeated printing of the image etched into the block symbolizes routine. I printed the routine in different colors, never cleaning my palate with each print. Just building on top of each color. The next thing I did was to wash away the color where the block prints intersected. As if to pause during routines to think clearly. After this I used color pencil to color in some of the negative space in between the block print. Like experiences separate from routine. Then over this I lay down a drawing using black sumi ink and a bamboo brush. The drawing was of a stem with leaves clipped off a tree. The clipping represents beauty and what we strive to be or is expected of us from society. I used black sumi ink because expectations are black and white with little room to stray away.”