Untitled Jan 22, 71 [study for "tattoo" book] 1971

This study for a “tattoo” book was made by James McCracken Jr. in 1971, and it looks like it’s ink on paper. The ink is black, obviously, but it has a density that makes it feel almost like a solid, like liquid licorice. There’s a cool, graphic quality to the work as a whole because of this. These figures have a scratchy, urgent quality, like pictograms from a lost civilization, or maybe doodles from a bored meeting. The way the ink bleeds slightly into the paper gives the figures a bit of fuzziness, blurring the edges, making them feel like they’re vibrating or humming. Look at the figure on the far left in the top row, is it dancing? Fighting? Both? McCracken Jr.'s work feels related to the art of Forrest Bess – another artist who created their own personal symbolic language. Like Bess, McCracken Jr. uses art to create their own mythology. These markings invite us to invent our own stories, too.