"At Present (Temma Lowly)" by Nik Burkhart
"At Presen (Temma Lowly)"
graphite and gesso on paper
8.5 x 11 inches
2023
Here is Nik Burkhart's contribution to the "Deposition: Drawn" project and upcoming exhibition opening on Valentine's Day, February 14, 4-6 pm in the Carlson Tower Gallery of North Park University, Chicago.
With Nik's piece there is more than meets the eye. Here's Nik's text:
I've attached my contribution to the project in response to your prompt. The title for this is "At Present (Temma Lowly)". I made this piece using Graphite and Gesso on Rives BFK Paper. I'm exploring the idea of additive and subtractive methods of image production over the course of the making of the piece. I was thinking about the growth of a tree and how each subsequent year it adds a growth ring as evidence of its persistence. At any given moment, all layers of its growth are present, even though you can only see the exterior layer.
For this drawing, I have projected and drawn multiple layers of the same image onto this paper to equal Temma's age (37) at the outset of this exhibition. I drew with graphite and subsequently covered it with a layer of gesso, then allowed it to dry and started again. There are 19 layers of graphite drawings and 18 layers of gesso built up on the paper. This process was fairly mundane in its repetition, but each layer (particularly the drawing phases) caused me to attend to different details in the overall image. Because of the way graphite interacts with gesso, applying the gesso layer wasn't a process of erasure, but rather a means of unifying the layers of drawings over the course of time as the graphite mixed with the paint and changed the tonal range of the image.
While the metaphor of tree and stump as relates to Temma are not exactly a perfect match, I felt a resonance that was worth exploring for this project. I feel unqualified to talk about disability as relates to this image, but recognize from your writing and artwork that in coming to terms with Temma's condition, you have simultaneously encountered profound loss and a deeper beauty through her presence in your life.
I am uncomfortable with the connotations of death brought to mind by the image of a stump in this context, but it bears acknowledgement. We typically measure the life of a tree (particularly a cherry tree like this stump) in terms of its ability to produce fruit, or at least the amount of time that it is alive and photosynthesizing. Assessing value in these terms neglects the reality that the physical presence of the wood/stump/matter continues to exist and age past the expiration of its standard utility. Said another way, measuring value (of anything or anyone) in terms of usability is a narrow view and a path to objectification or exploitation. Other connections can be drawn, but I think this gives context for my thoughts.
In thinking about a writing to be included with my piece, I have wrote the following poem.
this present
is as much
what was
as what is here
now
Nik Burkhart
"At Present (Temma Lowly)" by Nik Burkhart
"At Presen (Temma Lowly)"
graphite and gesso on paper
8.5 x 11 inches
2023
Here is Nik Burkhart's contribution to the "Deposition: Drawn" project and upcoming exhibition opening on Valentine's Day, February 14, 4-6 pm in the Carlson Tower Gallery of North Park University, Chicago.
With Nik's piece there is more than meets the eye. Here's Nik's text:
I've attached my contribution to the project in response to your prompt. The title for this is "At Present (Temma Lowly)". I made this piece using Graphite and Gesso on Rives BFK Paper. I'm exploring the idea of additive and subtractive methods of image production over the course of the making of the piece. I was thinking about the growth of a tree and how each subsequent year it adds a growth ring as evidence of its persistence. At any given moment, all layers of its growth are present, even though you can only see the exterior layer.
For this drawing, I have projected and drawn multiple layers of the same image onto this paper to equal Temma's age (37) at the outset of this exhibition. I drew with graphite and subsequently covered it with a layer of gesso, then allowed it to dry and started again. There are 19 layers of graphite drawings and 18 layers of gesso built up on the paper. This process was fairly mundane in its repetition, but each layer (particularly the drawing phases) caused me to attend to different details in the overall image. Because of the way graphite interacts with gesso, applying the gesso layer wasn't a process of erasure, but rather a means of unifying the layers of drawings over the course of time as the graphite mixed with the paint and changed the tonal range of the image.
While the metaphor of tree and stump as relates to Temma are not exactly a perfect match, I felt a resonance that was worth exploring for this project. I feel unqualified to talk about disability as relates to this image, but recognize from your writing and artwork that in coming to terms with Temma's condition, you have simultaneously encountered profound loss and a deeper beauty through her presence in your life.
I am uncomfortable with the connotations of death brought to mind by the image of a stump in this context, but it bears acknowledgement. We typically measure the life of a tree (particularly a cherry tree like this stump) in terms of its ability to produce fruit, or at least the amount of time that it is alive and photosynthesizing. Assessing value in these terms neglects the reality that the physical presence of the wood/stump/matter continues to exist and age past the expiration of its standard utility. Said another way, measuring value (of anything or anyone) in terms of usability is a narrow view and a path to objectification or exploitation. Other connections can be drawn, but I think this gives context for my thoughts.
In thinking about a writing to be included with my piece, I have wrote the following poem.
this present
is as much
what was
as what is here
now
Nik Burkhart