Drawing camp in the Swiss tradition

Last Spring Jean Craig Teerlink, with whom I attended Yale’s Summer in Brissago, Switzerland, organized a group of us who had roots in the Swiss design tradition to do a 3 day drawing camp north of SF. It was taught by Peter Olpe a long time instructor from the Basel School of Design.

The drawing camp tradition involves hiking out into a bucolic natural spot and drawing for 3 hours at a stretch with group critiques in between sessions. Cooking, cultural trecks and travel are wrapped around the work as the venue allows. It wouldn’t be Swiss without an assignment to focus the exploration. The works below represent 3 of them.

Charcoal

Charcoal | 18″x24″ | 2011

Ink on paper | 18″x24″ | 2010

Leaves

These drawings use black & white charcoal with white conte. Lots of smearing, erasing, layering and reworking. Results in dirty hands, face and clothes and the feeling of time spent in a worthwhile pursuit.

Spiney bush thing

Charcoal + white conte | 18"x24" | 2011

Charcoal & white conte | 18"x24"| 2011Charcoal & white conte | 10" x 14" | 2011