This is a large watercolor paper sheet that has been chemically rusted and then rinsed. I was using up the chemicals at my studio that were left from a recent workshop. I colored about twenty of these sheets then moved on to every sheet of protective papers from wax foundation sheets for bee keeping. After those were all dipped and rinsed I had enough left to do about ten large sheets of vellum.
I had a request to think about doing illustrations for a children’s book last week. After doing some research on how to go about that, I decided not only don’t I have the time it takes, but I am also a bit low on the photoshop savvy needed to lay it all out with sizing and backgrounds. It is more than just drawing pictures anymore. So I said thanks for the faith in my skills, but no thanks to the project.
But the idea of drawing in graphite again had its appeal. That combined with these pages from above, I decided to try to find places to put illustrations within the designs that occurred in the coloring process of making these papers.
Here is a detail of the first drawing. After I did this one, I placed it over another sheet of patterned paper and realized that it would be fun to turn the work into a small edition of books with the subject being looking for lost time. Each illustration has a clock just beyond the searcher’s vision. In the image above it is underground in a cave. Here it is behind her on the background sheet as she is sailing off on turbulent waters and looking out ahead.
Next she is peering over an edge and still looking for that lost time.
I think I will age her as she looks, and looks and looks for her lost time. Also there will be some text. Probably written by hand in graphite below or within the image. It might be an accordion style book. Because of the details of the drawings it seems that no less than six inch illustrations will do. That makes it a fairly large book. After each image is drawn I scan and adjust the colors to what they are supposed to be and work over the contrast/brightness. When I have enough drawings of her endless and fruitless search I will decide on a format for the book and decide how many in the edition I want to print. More later on that. For now I am completely absorbed in the idea of time and where to look for it. Start in the studio!