Untitled (10.11.04) 2004

This untitled drawing was made by Frank Lobdell on the 11th of October 2004, using what looks like crayon or maybe pastel on paper. The marks are tentative, searching, and that orange really pops against the purple and green. It gives you a sense of artmaking as a way of finding something out. The surface is really important here; you can see all the tiny flecks of paper showing through the pigment, which gives it a kind of porous, breathing quality. The orange crayon scumbles and blends, and the squiggles of purple and green sit on top of it like playful thoughts. Check out that central shape, like a toothy grin or some kind of weird seed. Those red lines cutting across it make me think of a diagram, or maybe a map. Lobdell reminds me of Guston, but with a softer edge. Both artists share that willingness to embrace the clumsy and the awkward, to let the drawing lead them to unexpected places. In the end, it's not about getting it "right," but about staying open to the possibilities.