Drawing Ed Ruscha

Abstract

This project aims to discuss drawing as a method of bridging the void between digital imaging technologies and physical drawing in the fine art domain. It does so by investigating the role of drawing and printing in contemporary portraiture. Drawn and printed silkscreen portraits are made from a synthesis of graphite marks, digital pixels and water-based ink deposited on paper surfaces. The practice-led research described here explores the materiality of the emergent image when drawing is impressed on an electronic media trace. This investigation is timely in the context of the unprecedented impact of digital technologies on contemporary culture that tend to displace the physicality of drawing. By taking an approach to portraiture whereby artist and sitter do not meet in person, the project initiates a portrait of Ed Ruscha using the medium of video images. Digital electronic images held pixel by pixel in smartphone camera and computer hard disks are interpreted into physical drawing environments to make an expressive representation of a human form. Tactile gestural mark-making is contrasted with electronic imaging to create a pensive image where techniques are blended. The process and methodology are described, and the artistic outputs are shared across the globe through digital and analogue communication systems.