Descending Ashtray

We fell asleep on the living room floor with pillows and a blanket. I got up and did this drawing of him, enjoying one of the only times he is still.

I mark my artistic career in two ways: the days before I knew of Sol Lewitt, and the days after.

Sol Lewitt, groundbreaking conceptual artist, exquisite draftsman, gifted printmaker, and sculptural wizard, died on Sunday, April 8th, 2007. He was 78.

“The idea is a machine that creates art.”

I have never wanted to be a decorator, I am far too impatient for realism, and I get self-conscious around models. Sol Lewitt’s aesthetic, the simple purity of a straight line and the supreme importance of the idea appealed to me immediately. As a designer, I am naturally drawn to grids. And while my math skills are less than stellar, I have an interest in systems and enjoy the meditative act of navigating the intricate logic of 3D space represented in two dimensions. I am also a hoarder.

“If the artist carries through his idea and makes it into visible form, then all the steps in the process are of importance. The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product. All intervening steps — scribbles, sketches, drawings, failed works, models, studies, thoughts, conversations — are of interest.”

And, though he would probably wince at the idea of beauty in his work, his work is awe-inspiringly beautiful, in the same way the double helix of DNA, or a cloudscape, or a checkerboard are.

“In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair.”

See Sol Lewitt:

• Portland Art Museum’s Print Gallery: Minimalism/Postminimalism
• Des Moines Art Center: Wall Drawing #601
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
• SFMOMA
• Other Collections

Friend of Descending Ashtray Drew Anderson has a new show up at Portland’s Beulahland as of two days ago. With 27 framed and highly-intricate drawings on display, this show is certain to be a feast for the eyes (just don’t forget your glasses!). An artist’s reception will be held Monday, February 12th at 7:31 PM, which also happens to be the third birthday of his lovely daughter Lillian. See you there!

Beulahland
118 NE 28th Ave
Portland, OR

I had an idea for a sculpture the other day, and started drawing something out today to get an idea what it might look like. Not sure how/if I’m going to finish this drawing, or just move right to the sculpture. Probably the answer depends on the weather.

I have not switched to drawing on parchment paper; I had to do some photoshopping to get the faint .5 mm pencil lines to show at this low resolution.

The idea is that I will make lots of square/circle pieces with different woods, and assemble them together in a somewhat haphazard way to resemble a pieced-together building. Something that has fallen into disrepair, then had repairs made with lots of strange materials. I am thinking walnut, cherry, doug fir, alder, copper and whatever else I find lying around the shop. Should be interesting.

I’ve spent all weekend applying finishing touches to the Labyrinth. I will post more photos tonight or tomorrow, but it’s been too much work to post! Here’s about 45 minutes worth of this weekend’s work compressed to 2.5 minutes. Enjoy.

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This technique is a good way to capture the feeling and light of a space in a short period of time. Even though it does not look like much up close. The application of paint is something I like looking at with actual paintings beacause you can see how it was done. It is impossible to see this from a photo or a print of a famous painting.