Back in the Studio

In spite of feeling tremendously excited by the landscape in Iceland, I've been having a hard time getting going on any artwork. I think I've needed to think about it, but I've also been setting my internal bar too high rather than just plunging in. I did this drawing (above) last week but it wasn't what I was aiming for at all -- this is a view of the same beach I posted about a few days ago. I kept the sketchbook open and studied the drawing everyday, and today I started over.

Until I start drawing, and thinking about what's emerging, I sometimes don't know what it is that I want to emphasize: what for me is the aspect of the subject that I find the most powerful or compelling. It may end up being a surprise, though I'm sure that my subconscious "eye" registered the information already -- the process of drawing becomes a process of simplification, of shedding layers of extraneous information, including the distracting or inaccurate story my mind has made up about the subject, until the most important kernel emerges. It can be quite a surprise.

I chose a different angle, and began drawing, and quickly this time realized what was important: predominantly the forms of the cracks in the rocks and the angles those cracks creat; secondarily, the interplay between the large skull-like white areas and the large shadows. The latter doesn't show very well in either of the following drawings - the size of all the black lines is too similar, but it will, I hope, when I'm done.

The final print will probably include more of the scene on the right. The large black shape at upper right will be broken up - that's turf on top of the rocks. But this is progress, and that feels good.