Preliminaries

Preliminaries are a body of roughly 150 small works on paper created over a period of roughly twelve years from 1998 to 2010. The series was established as a stimulant toward addressing the development of  larger and more dedicated work. The term “preliminary” tends to imply a preparatory study, or a means of understanding issues such as appropriate size, structure, angle, etc. of a composition before applying it to a dedicated work in progress.  The purpose and approach to these drawings were different from work to work, allowing instead for a series of random images to act as a catalyst to inform not only directions in visual structures, but also experimental approaches to mixing media, mark making strategies and a re-invigoration of possible conceptual considerations. The works became a dictionary of exploration into identifying successful combinations of media while also striking balances in repeated motifs.  An exhibition of 50 selected drawings was developed and presented for college art students as an educative insight into how one artist has maintained an effort to continually research ways materials can be used and marks made..