With Lane Twitchell

 Hold plexi up to a chair so that it fills most of the view. As you stare at a space in the object, imagine that the chair itself disappears. What you are left with are the negative shapes-real shapes of space.  Review  What are edges?  If we draw the edges of negative space, what automatically appears?  Notice that the outer edges of the negative shapes are the edges of your format

 The size and shape of the area your composition is built within

 The entire drawing, made up from three components:  Positive shapes  Negative shapes  Format

 Depending on your format, a shape may or may not fit  Young artists are often oblivious to format  All parts of a composition (positive / negative / format) are locked together in a relationship  We are not at liberty to change that relationship because changing one thing changes every thing.

 Positive Space is your figure… it is what you are focusing on  Negative Space is the area around your figure  Negative Space is NOT a bad thing  You should find a comfortable balance between the two

 Draw what is NOT there. See the object, imagine it disappears and draw the space that was left behind.  Use your plexiglass to trace the negative shapes, transfer to your sketchbook.  Try now only doing one shape on your picture plane (plexi) and then work off of that to do the rest from sight (use your perceptual skills)

Lane Twitchell Self Centered x 36" / 91.4 x 91.4 cm

Downwinders x 21" / 30.5 x 53.3 cm ed. of 15 Peaceable Kingdom (Evening Land) x 60 Urethane on cut paper mounted to acrylic on plexi over acrylic on panel

Suburban Showdown (Santa Cruz) x 36" / 91.4 x 91.4 cm

 Lane Twitchell was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1967  Received an M.F.A. degree from the School of Visual Arts, New York, in  Early works addressed his Mormon upbringing, drawing from the American religion's history, mythology and iconography. This aspect of the artist's work has expanded as he has sought to address the larger realm of American religious fundamentalism.Mormon American religion's  His paintings draw from a dizzying range of art-historical and social antecedents, including the Hudson River School painters, American politics, the theology of Mormonism, the West as frontier, technological history, and traditional forms of American handicraft.

 Works typically depict the contemporary American landscape as if rendered through a kaleidoscopic, wide-angle lens.  The basis of work is folded and cut paper and occasionally spun Olifin, also known as Tyvek. Originally selected to reproduce the repetitive nature of the modern suburb.  He cuts paper and tissue into symmetrical or concentric forms,often emphasizing a balance of space.  The decorative nature of the work can seem simple-minded at first; however, the seductive nature of decorative strategies becomes part the content the artist is exploring.

Cheer Up (New York Blues) x 48" / x cm Oil on cut film mounted on plexi over pigment on panel

 First Complete a “Current Truth” personal inventory. - In your sketchbook, list the following categories: Relationships, Politics, Spirituality, Change, Hobbies, and Education -Brainstorm 7-10 examples from your life and experiences for each category -Next look through magazines and find images that appeal to you in terms of the elements of art (Line, Shape, Color, Texture, Space, Value, Form) and collage them into a page of your sketchbook. Be sure to reflect on each image!  Write your “Story.” What is your artwork going to be about? Lane Twitchell used images of religion, politics, society, etc. What will you use? What story of your personality will you tell?  Describe the ACTUAL elements that you will draw. What will the final piece look like? Then… gather reference images.  Complete a 6x6 in sketch of what your final piece will look like using contour lines that vary in size, shape, and direction. You will have only positive and negative shapes. Everything with your pencil will STAY as positive, everything white will be cut out (just like Twitchell did).  Expand your sketch to a 12x12in square, color in your positive lines using BLACK sharpie or a colored pencil. All negative space (white) should be cut out using an x- acto knife.

NO FLOATING OBJECTS…everything should connect to something else! AND Maintain a balance of positive and negative space!