I completed a final pass over the reflections on all three drawings today, thus completing 95% of the drawing stage. It felt a little strange to be telling myself that the drawings are near complete, as I’ve been preparing and thinking about them for so long. The clear signal that I was near completion was the fact that as I was drawing, I found myself picking at areas instead of really drawing gesturally. One aspect of these drawings that I have on my side is the fact that they are very large and will be seen in a gallery with 25′ tall ceilings, which will enable the drawings to be seen from a far distance.
The next stage is for me to do a “dress rehearsal” of the installation. Andrew Daubaur, the Museum Preparator at the Davis Museum came by to look at the work the other day and to advise me on the installation on the piece. Ultimately, I’m trying to achieve a look where the drawings “float” on the wall. After looking at the work and the materials, he suggested simply nailing 4 nails on the top of the piece, and then painting the nails the appropriate grey so that they disappear into the drawing. Tomorrow I’ll install the work into the Jewett Art Gallery (where I’m the gallery director) to get a sense of what the drawings will look like in a large space. Luckily, the gallery is unoccupied during the summer so I can look at the work without being concerned about interrupting the gallery schedule.
