Earlier stints with colored pencils (geometric abstraction) led to the current drawings in permanent marker. A book of them, Fugitive Ink, documents
work from 2009-2011. I resumed drawing in February, 2013, and have been
happy to see new imagery appear, including so-called “figurative” work.
Operating in the ill-defined space between dippy and trippy (between cliché and
complexity), drawings always start with ballpoint or pencil, before the coloring begins.
Color simplifies line; color establishes the formal clarity of a work.
Untrained, I pick color by feel. When things appear perfectly tasteful, I like ‘em; and when the look is a mite wrong-headed, I’m okay with that too, usually.
If I have a good idea, I run with it for a while, doing variations, but not copies.
Once finished, I turn the paper over and sign and date the work. Rarely is there any white space left on the paper, though lately, with the Sun and trees, I’m trying to leave some.
- Geoffrey Young, 2014
