Abstract:
This project explored the unique qualities of an artist’s hand (personal gesture) and was a study of mark making. Three compositions were created through automatic drawing. Completed drawings were presented to three groups: those who considered themselves non-artistic, advanced level art students and beginning level art students. The first individual from each group was asked to recreate an initial drawing. The first recreated drawing was then passed to the next participant for personal interpretation. The process was repeated for each subsequent member of a particular group. Results were similar to the outcome of the classic children’s game “Telephone” with noticeable variations associated with the artistic skill level of each group. Despite the differences it was observed that, in general, participants strove to preserve the essential form of the source sketch. Using the original drawing and the final interpretation of the same drawing, I then created paintings incorporating formal properties of line, composition and color.
