Hi everyone-

I have enjoyed reading your ideas and seeing images of your work. I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to contribute to this blog again.

I want to share some images of an installation I have started called Lessons in Expansion. At this point it is not a site-specific installation, but rather the genesis of a multi-component environment that will eventually make its way out of my studio and re-form in another setting. It began with a drawing (approximately 122cm square), which is expanding to include other 2-d and 3-d elements and related handmade nonverbal “research and analysis” books.

In the initial dialogue about Love/Death/Life/Soul, Michael mentioned “increasing our creative challenges” and moving out of “comfort zones.” I have a tendency to jump from one piece to another, or one body of work to another, without fully exhausting enough possibilities for that work. Or if I have explored several possibilities, for example in a painting or drawing, those possibilities are usually buried under layer upon layer of reworking. Nothing wrong with reworking, but it might be beneficial to see those possibilities extend outward rather than being hidden forever.

By allowing 2-d and 3-d elements to be created as an extension of this initial drawing, I am challenging myself to stay with the Lessons of Expansion project for a while. By creating “research and analysis” books in which I observe steps of the project and respond visually to those observations, I am constantly excavating rather than covering. Some of the books so far include: Comfort in reproduction; Fear of expansion; Fear of compression; Random possible connections; and Documentation of documentation.

In the first photo, you can see the original drawing (still in progress), connected to 2 smaller pieces of paper by thread and glue. Photos 2, 3 and 4 are close-ups of the connecting area. The rest of the images are of handmade paper with monotype. I made the paper in such a way that it is thinner and more translucent in areas (the ovals), and has actual holes in some places. Each sheet was formed by two very thin sheets being laminated together, with thread embedded between the two layers. As of now, these are raw materials, but I will experiment with making 3-d forms out of this paper, perhaps lit from within.

Thanks for reading and looking. I will continue to post images of this project as it progresses… or digresses… or transgresses. To see my previous work, visit http://www.marysdrawings.com . I look forward to seeing you all in person, and continuing a discussion via blog in the meantime.
Mary