gallery > past works > frottage based drawings
The following works have been developed from frottage which is a technique of taking a rubbing from an uneven surface to form the basis of an artwork. In psychology, frottage means an abnormal desire for contact between clothed bodies of oneself and another.
The process was to take large peices of art paper, place them over the subject and take a rubbing using watercolour pastel. For the Scribbly Gum drawings the paper was tacked to the trunk of trees. For the monstera deliciosa and radial palms, the subjects were placed on a composition talbe prior to taking the rubbing.
This journey has developed considerably since my first frottage based drawings. The mixed media in these drawings include watercolour pastels, ink, gold leaf, oil pastel, wax crayon, water and binder medium. The process has been both play and a challenge, experimenting with the media and testing their limits.
Both 'Scribbly Gums' and 'Monstera' were done in my studio during a time when my formal art studies were particularly dry and colourless. It was as if breaking out of prison: the liberation was exhilarating. 'Palmae' came along soon after, more contemplative of the subject both in its material sense and psychological associations...palms, hands, blanket, under cover, breakthrough light...
Kim de Vahl Baker 2007 ABN 91895455326