t e d d a n d e r s o n
I draw directly on paper without an underdrawing to guide me. The content comes about through the execution. Both composition and narrative of a finished drawing is a mystery to me when I begin.. I create a simple rule for a drawing to direct its creation; this guideline may be a quality of hatch line I want to repeat or a simple pattern I want to create.
I utilize a personal lexicon comprised of visual elements I’ve gathered over the years. This set of signifiers grows over time as I take in influence, as I throw new things onto the paper. New elements are added with each drawing I complete. I use this visual vocabulary to populate my drawings. I do not attempt to juxtapoz these elements consciously, I prefer to place things within the framework of a drawing and allow the viewer to make their own connections.
Once I decide on an element of drawing to focus on, hours of execution remain. I am left with ample time to meander through ideas while drawing. I imagine a narrative that pertains to the piece I’m working on; if a character is drawn, there is a world for it, if a world is drawn, there is a context for it. A tiny universe unfolds while I execute the drawing. Ultimately a series, upon completion, exists within a universe I’ve thought up while drawing.
"i said what i said."