Being asked to look at 1033 drawings is like shoving a chocoholic into a candy store and slamming the door. My whole life centered around drawing, my bliss is drawing, my obsession is (yes you guessed it) DRAWING. I have been drawing since the age of 4 and am now 71. I’ve been at it for over 6 decades and am still enthralled. I love looking at drawings and adore anyone who draws. Which is odd. When I first started out on this road, no one just “drew". Drawing was something you did in order to paint or plot out a sculpture. It was considered an interim medium. I used to go to galleries with my portfolio (pre-internet, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth) and the gallery owners would say, “Wow these are great! Do you paint?” When I answered, “no", they totally lost interest. How times have changed. How did I manage to pick only 58 drawings from that vast panoply of images? I'm not going to give you an intellectually inspired academic reason on what I consider “good” and why. Art, like life, is totally subjective. When you’re introduced to someone for the first time, you size them up almost subconsciously and decide within minutes whether they’re on your wavelength or not. I’ve done this with art, books, music and movies as well as with people. I’m quick to judge. I’m very judgmental. I have quirky tastes and opinions, but who doesn’t? If I picked someone's art and not someone else’s, it doesn’t mean that the art is better or worse… just like the person I’m introduced to isn’t a “bad” person if I don’t think we’ll be BFFs. It’s just my taste, and my taste is neither here nor there, it just is. I do have personal preferences. You know what grabs me the most when viewing work? When I think an artist has mastery over their medium. It means they’re not kidding around, they’ve spent time and effort on their craft. Next is originality. It could be the unusual use of marks, or composition, or subject matter. Whatever sparks uniquely, has a different vibe or energy from the rest of the crowd. Power and emotion are also elements that I notice…and then there’s humor. I love a bit of playfulness and absurdity. I have been given the privilege to draw my entire life. My parents encouraged me, teachers encouraged me and, even though I was told that I would never be able to make a living with black & white disturbing pencil drawings, the art market encouraged me. I have been very blessed. I hope that all the participants of this 16th Annual Drawing Discourse Exhibition are as blessed as me and can continue to make their art and thrive. I wish them all much success and an abundance of inspiration.
-Laurie Lipton