Experimental Drawings

Before you get started on a painting assignment,
you always begin Peggy Zehrings's workshops with a half -day
of experimental drawings done with a product called
Charkole on butcher paper.

The drawings are done blindfolded while listening to music,
African tribal pieces or Australian aboriginal tunes or hot jazz.

This one happened to be done while listening to an African beat.

Some drawings are completed with your non-dominant hand
or with charcoal in both hands,
perhaps with your hands behind your back

like this one.

Some drawings rely on tools to stamp on the paper,
textured items to place under the paper,


graters to powder the charcoal, spritzes of water,
or thin strings of paper cement to create a resist.

Why?


If you're blindfolded or using your "other" hand,
you bypass the logical functions in your brain
and get a more visceral, authentic mark.


Those authentic marks tell a story of who you are
at a given point in your life.

The five drawings above are one-third of the total done that morning.

Since five members of the class were on their second week,
they were excused from doing another morning of drawing
unless they really wanted to play. So I've shown you my drawings,
but if you're interested, I'll show you some drawings by my classmates.

Let me know.





Comments

I'm going to stop telling you about being in awe of your talent...if I were drawing with my non-dominant hand, behind my back, blindfolded, the paper would be blank. But there would be odd marks on the wall, the backs of chairs, and probably the instructor.
poefusion said…
Meri these drawings are exceptional. I love the first and third ones best. I'm putting in my request to use them as a Monday Mural. Please say I can use them. They are wonderful. Have a great night.
Relyn Lawson said…
My favorite is the third down. It reminds me of the inside of a mum somehow.

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