by torn drawings
As I go through numerous life drawings from decades ago, the least favourite are being ripped up and put into the paper recycling bin. Today, I decided to rip these into even smaller pieces and feed them to the compost as carbon material to balance the current overload of nitrogen from lawn clippings. A few little pieces attracted me and I thought I’d scan them.
The first ones are reminding me too much of kitchen towels drying on the clothesline, maybe because I do have stuff on the line at present! The second set makes me think of ancient Greek or Roman fresco pieces, which is so much more artistic. What fun!
May 19, 2012 in Being an Artist, Drawings by Marja-Leena
Oh dear, now I’m wondering who modelled for that first set? I like the bits of fresco pictures.
Susan, I am trying to remember his name, I think it was Charlie (the skeleton)… 🙂
My husband did a trick, and it was years after his art school.
He knew a person, a doctor, who arranged him a possibility to go to medical department cellar and he digged some skulls and started drawing them. Those skulls were definitely different, and one could imagine the flesh on top of them, and they would look not alike at all.
We have the Artist Anatomy book and we were playing with the possible persons for many evenings.
But my husband put the skull drawings into an exhibition and they were definitely not considered in good taste. Most likely the anatomy students have given the skulls names, like Markku or Mirja, but we didn’t know them.
Ripsa, that is quite the story, and what an experience! Do you still have some of those drawings? My experience has been only with those standard reproductions of skeletons found in every art school and doctor’s office.
Marja-Leena,
I would like to send some samples, but it so happens that he, Leo, is over there in West Coast seeing his mother (94yrs) and brother (64yrs) plus school friends and I don’t have a key to his studio. Which I expect is quite a mess.
But you can see some of his works in my side bar under the name of his artist group, Taiteilijaseura Botnia, which has also some pictures of each artists in the gallery there.
The group will turn 60 yrs old this year, and there will be fierce celebration in form of several exhibitions.
And there is another hinder. My scanner just took and died. I am not sure if the death is permanent, but it looks bad.
Ripsa, what a rich old age your mother-in-law is. Our parents did not make it into the 80’s and less. Leo must be having a wonderful reunion with his family and friends.
I’ve seen some of Leo’s work in the past, perhaps when we first became online friends. I really like his powerful drawings on the artist group’s site. I notice one member is Tapani Tammenpää, father of Juha, whom I met when I was in Vaasa for my exhibition in 2002. Juha showed us the Vaasa Printmakers printshop – I think I already told you about that. It’s too bad we did not meet then.
And your scanner, I hope it is repairable! I still miss my first one which had a larger flatbed but when computers started to use USB and Firewire instead of SCSI ports, I was forced to part with it. And now this one is not supported by newer versions of PhotoShop, so I have kept my older PhotoShop for scanning.
Ah, this seems to fit with your love of shards and fragments and incomplete messages…
Ah, how right you are, Marly!
Marly, back the next morning to say how your words stuck in my mind. It seems to me that only after these drawings were torn to bits was I attracted to some of those ‘fragments’. My inner archeologist awakened? Then the desire to resurrect and save these records digitally…. hmmm… I may be doing more….
Exactly right for you!