No, OCD is not my problem. When I did the self-portrait that functions as my facebook profile picture (and is also one of these ‘text’ drawings) I was feeling my age. I had my hand braced due to arthritis, was wearing my new glasses, and new wrinkles, and new graying hair. A few years later I don’t feel like I’m suffering from much. Maybe just a lack of time…

Really beautiful, Scott. Nice to see your drawings and look forward to more.

Being able to post work ‘in-depth’ is what makes this site great. There is nothing else like it, and it dove-tailed perfectly with what I’d been thinking about doing for a couple of years on a site of my own. But I know little about computers, so when I was introduced to the Open Museum, I took to it like a duck to water. Posting is very easy, though a lot of thought has to go into what you want to post, and what you want to say about each piece.
As for motivation, in some pieces I post I tip-toe around that issue because I don’t want to give too much away in my text. This piece still has layers of meaning I don’t discuss at all, as most of my posted paintings do, too. I often forgo discussing the most personal meanings of these works, sometimes for reasons of privacy, and other times because I think not knowing preserves a bit more mystery for the viewer. Those personal motivations are the most basic and critical to the works, however.

The tenting was for termites, not rats, but she got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I first started writing on drawings in Vienna, when I was going through a very difficult artistic period. After my first solo show, the erotic ‘theme’ that had always inspired my work just died. Eventually I started doing a series of drawings, self-portraits as corpses. On these I started venting my rage at Vienna by writing with three pencils at once, so the script was barely legible. In contrast, these newer works have text that I think about and polish in advance.

I look forward to more of your work as you post it. You have amazing talent!

Thanks, Grady! I have a few more drawings with text to post. I generally dislike paintings with text, but somehow felt it is more appropriate with a drawing. Maybe that’s just a self-delusion.

I agree about text on paintings, but also that it’s fine on this drawing- maybe it comes across more like a refined journal page or sketchbook page. I like seeing your finished drawings, the touch is similar to the paintings but different of course.

Thanks Marc. I don’t get asked to take part in too many drawing shows, so the number of these type of ‘text drawings’ is limited. It won’t be a huge collection.