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| Imitation of Nature Number 21: An Impaled Drawing of an Autumn Leaf mixed media 11 1/2 x 11 11/16 x 1 1/2 inches |
Made in the late 1990’s, these drawings grew from a harvest of leaves. Gathered from many walks in the bottom of the canyon, the collection matured in diversity. The search was for different types and sizes. I was interested in color variation and patterns of damage. I wanted the not so pretty along with specimens of perfection. Perfection was sought in a range of life inhabited by leaves. The sampling was similar to science. I was invested in an aesthetic that was democratic in its representation; I thought quotas were an appropriate way to view the abundant nature of leaves.
I’ve always liked leaves. However, having a degree in painting caused me to examine patterns in ways that I may not have done as a child. Painting is what I do. Not that many years ago, I was entirely devoted to abstraction. It was hard not notice how well nature did what I strived for in paint. Every leaf was unique. Yet, there was no struggle. Autumn knew exactly how to blot spots of pink in fields of yellow, burgundy and brown. I liked how miniscule holes broke the cellulose weave of fibrous treads, a brittle screen as delicate as tobacco.
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| Imitation of Nature Number 32: An Impaled Drawing of an Autumn Leaf 12 7/8 x 12 3/16 x 1 1/2 inches |
For quite a while I thought of enlarging the specimens I collected. I imagined them as large painted shapes, plywood cutouts covered in canvas. They were to be hung far enough from the wall to cast shadows. The presentation I imagined was fairly standard. Contemporary thought seldom thinks outside the box. The very phrase as a matter of fact verifies mass entrapment. Anyone I mentioned the leaves to, saw or imagined them hung in the same manner. The fact that it was easily seen, was for me a strike against the concept.
I finally decided that the thing I really wanted to do was draw them to scale. This gave me an opportunity to play with the plausibility factor. Normally, it doesn’t matter how masterfully a thing is rendered, the truth gives it away. There is no way a painting of a mountain or house can be seen as real. The inaccuracy of scale clearly gives it away. While a painting may remind viewers of Mount Catherine, or the wilds of childhood, no one is fooled by the representational illusion of paint. The best that can ever be achieved, is to fool some initially into believing that paint is photographic, as in photorealism. There again, it’s a matter of scale. Although larger than snapshots, the paintings of Chuck Close and Richard Estes could possibly be large photographic prints.
It was then a matter of presentation. I decided the drawn should be cutout. I thought of hinging them to a background like you would with any drawing or print, but decided to mount them on tacks. This gave them a physical presence. The extension added sculptural weight to paper. Now paper had the power to cast shadow. No longer two-dimensional, paper became an object to display in a specimen box.
When thinking about titles, I considered possible objections to the leaves. One was the fact that they might be seen as leaves. Being that literal leaves no luscious brushstrokes to grab onto, and in an environment where paint is paint for its own sake, there’s a straight up fear of imitating nature. Although sometimes considered a lowly act, it may be wise to consider that painting in not language. There are no existing symbols that can be strung together to form even a simple rendition of a banana. Imitating nature as a concept comes from a place of not understanding paint. All painting is abstract. The formation of imagery out of lines, dots and scribbles is nothing but invention. No one is imitating anything. A brushstroke that’s more than a brushstroke could be the highest form of abstraction. I incorporated the possibility of derision as a badge of honor. Because the mounting was unusual, I labeled punctured paper as impaled. I wanted the drawings of leaves to be a celebration of nature, and that coincidentally can only be achieved through observation.
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| Imitation of Nature Number 28: An Impaled Drawing of an Autumn Leaf mixed media 14 3/8 x 13 x 1 1/2 inches |
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