drawings

We think of some of our drawings as artworks. Many, though, become objects for art-making like most of the things we fabricate. Using them with handmade paper objects to create sculptures has been a challenge we’ve enjoyed taking up. August 2019

We try to draw at the end of the day, usually pastel & acrylic paint The paper is store bought, usually rolls of Canson 140pd watercolor paper. Our drawing efforts on handmade paper are here.

We like them, but usually find we like cutting or tearing them to make them useful for sculpture.

 

We cut up some 8’ x 4’ two sided charcoal drawings to get something sculptural going. The heft of the 140lb drawing paper and some deft cutting allows the drawing parts to drape & twist dramatically.

We put the drawing fragments up to work on their arrangement. We started to take down the piece on the right to make more room, but we took some pictures since they were working well together showing, maybe, a pursuit or tryst. December 2020
For scale, the wall is about 11’ high.

 

Here are some drawings most of which have not been torn or cut yet.

A flattened & sliced cardboard painting began as a cardboard box that we tore, cut and folded to make a suspended sculpture. We liked it, but making artwork from a single element never holds our attention long.
fitting 2020 pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint, charcoal, fabric on flattened box 1.5’ x 7’

reverse

artist Barbara Landes working with a cardboard box to create a cut-up suspended sculpture

The simple white cardboard box was cut, bent, folded.

in process shot of suspended cardboard box that's been cut, bent and folded and before paint and fabric decoration

We clamped it to itself and suspended it to resemble something sculptural.

LandesSullivan suspended sculpture made from a cut-up cardboard box painted and folded

We started painting it and attaching some fabric. Some wood dowels were added to push the planes of the box into space. After a week or so, we’d had our fun. We unhung the piece and laid it out flat. It looked good as a 2 sided 2 dimensional drawing. However, our sculpting was hard on the cardboard. It was ragged and soon became a useful pile of colorful cardboard shapes that still find their way into our work occasionally.

a sketch to set up again and take further.