graphite, putty & plastic erasers & papiers colles/30x20cm
source: 3rd generation B&W photocopy of colour p/copy of print-reproduced photograph
Returning for source material from the recent brief sojourn on the Internet to the print media as previously, but broadening in scope from the limits of daily newspapers, the image from which this drawing was processed originally graced the cover of the November/December 2007 'Scandinavian' issue of the excellent & irresistible textiles publication Selvedge, access to the hard copy of which is provided courtesy of the day job: it is such a beautiful & compelling image, straight in with a bullet to the upper echelons of the hit parade of favourite photographs, being the work of Francesco Valentino, & featuring the modelling (by Maria) of fashions by Michiko Koshino against the backdrop of the 'Icehotel' in the village of Jukkasjärvi near Kiruna in Sweden. Given the cold & snowy spell in which the UK has been gripped, there's a pleasing topicality about the discovery of such an image, & something rather enjoyable too about having an excuse to stay indoors in the warmth whilst engaged in the transcription process.
As in all of this year's work to date, the drawing is based immediately upon a photomechanically 'degraded' image a number of generations down the line from the original source. In this particular instance, the presence of the hanging animal pelts to the left of & behind the human figure (a concept informing Valentino's work is that of contrast & duality, which, aesthetically, contributes in no small measure to the appeal of the image whilst also providing food for further thought) inspired an attempt to realise this textured aspect of the drawing in more physical form: the shapes of each of the four separate segments, skins, forming the whole were carefully torn from a sheet of paper (the edges thus providing another form of 'drawing') & then pasted onto the base page, overlapping in places, this 'object' then standing slightly proud of the surface of the whole page, its edges destined to catch & hold some of the pencil marks subsequently applied-erased in the course of the habitual drawing process. Alas, the surface of the paper used (the same type as the base) proved largely resistant to the breaking-up effect I hoped would take place under the pressure of erasure (something like a better quality Fabriano paper, as I used to use when making larger-scale charcoal drawings, has a lovely crumbly surface that breaks easily & aids the creation of ragged textures and suchlike), thus these pasted elements of the drawing are not as textured & distressed as envisaged, & the drawing as a whole consequently not quite as 'object-like' as intended : note to try something different in future.
Soundtrack:
Portishead 'Third'
'Test Match Special' WI v Eng 1st Test, days 2-4
Addictive listening in both cases: Portishead's 'Third' is lodged in the mind, unshiftably, to be returned to obsessively at present, its sonic aesthetic & consequent mood feeling most appropriate to the the times: whilst TMS, when available, is an essential accompaniment to the working process - good company, passionate, informative, erudite, amusing & greatly entertaining, conjuring images of & creating another world, without making any demands for interaction other than that one listens, absolutely perfect. Excellent First Test of the current series, proceeding in stately fashion before a rapid, thrilling & unexpectedly early denouement. It seems fitting too to acknowledge, with regret, the passing of the estimable TMS scorer Bill Frindall, whose learned presence & subtle interjections will surely be missed: RIP.
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