Ink, 20”x16”, 2026
“In drawing, I don’t erase. I believe the original gesture has to be the best.” Ellsworth Kelly
In childhood, I remember one evening sitting among the branches of a tree, gazing at the fleeting clouds above. I always carried my Daily Diary and a stubby pencil in a back pocket. When a full moon burst forth, I rapidly drew the spindly branch in front of me with the round moon behind it.
I still love to draw quick expressive lines that capture an essence, whether a person or a tree: in the art world, this technique is called “gesture drawing.” Traditionally, the focus is on a single subject, usually the human form.
In my new series of drawings, Among the Trees, I use gesture strokes all over the whole surface of the paper, whether depicting grass, sky, a tree, or an individual. Each image is made up of thousands of fast dramatic ink lines, in hue and style distinct from its neighboring space on the page.
In Autumn Tree II 2 Runners, every part of the drawing has a different texture: the tight repeated design in the trunk, the loose green grass, the more transparent red of the tree, the irregular lines of the lead running figure, the smoother surface of the second figure. The whole drawing is a mosaic of gesture drawings, giving unique respect to the essential energy of each life form.
In Tree Top Moon, the living tree is equal in vitality to the busy sky with active clouds and shining moon, all comprised of seemingly vibrating tiny lines. Even something that we normally consider inanimate, such as sky, for me, brims with effervescent energy. A tree that we might pass without a glance, is a font of life in every leaf, as is a field of grass. By using gesture lines on the whole surface, I give maximum vitality to the entire drawing.
When I feature the view from near the top of the tree, the viewer seems closer to the sky, clouds and moon. As a child, I spent many evenings at the top of favorite trees gazing at the sky in cloudy Seattle, enjoying the moon when it poked out through the gray above. The vibrant energies I depict in my drawings come from direct experience of the many hours of childhood spent swaying among the branches, feeling one with the trees, sky, clouds and moon that nurtured me.
October 01 – January 06
Kaethe Kauffman Trees
Please enjoy these new gesture drawings of trees and people relating to them and inspired by them. This exhibit is online only. MORE INFO
