This photo was taken during the demolition of the old Lee’s Karate building on South Walnut. Demolition always signifies the passing of an old friend, giving way to something new. Looking back, I’m happy to have captured this fleeting moment on film, as it will never exist like this again.

Bombs concludes phase I of project35, and marks the beginning of phase II. This photo has long been a favorite of mine, and I’ve been holding off its production until I had the right board and the right frame of mind. As the final sketch, I thought the timing was right. And the final board (of the original cutting) fit well with the composition.

It is perhaps the smallest board of all, comparable to sketch 2: Bloomington Quarry. As you recall, sketch #2 is where I began my experiment with gel pens. I learned from that piece, as it is the only photo I chose to produce twice. I discovered the nature of things; how the wood held the ink, how the ink behaved on the gesso, how each composition created a new set of challenges. Over the course of this process, I’ve learned the difficulties involved with the medium, and using the sketches from phase I as “studies”, I’m excited to move forward.

Bombs Over B-town has brought me to a new beginning. Imagine the original twin bedboard, used to divide and saw into these ten peices, nearly 7 feet in length. Now imagine Bombs projected at that scale…

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This was a labor of love. I haven’t measured it but i would guess the final dimensions are around 40” x 30″. In the process, I was awakened to the biggest advancements of project35 so far: embellishment, adaptation and abstraction. Meaning, the organic nature of this piece (grass, cows, sky, flowers etc.) almost commanded me to take my own stab at reality. Don’t draw exactly what you see– create the scene as it should come across given the materials you’re working with. Continue reading »