Wax Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...

The discipline of creating a drawing each day is a process, like a written diary, to clear the mind, to declutter thoughts, and to observe patterns. It is a method that allows the mind a freedom to wander and drift. A visual journal becomes a safe space for personal reflection–a self-awareness fueled by the opportunity for contemplation and immersion. The painted surface for the drawings was created by dividing five large paintings into 40 separate pieces. I chose five paintings from my Perspective Series (1993-94), which relied on day-to-day imagery that narrated a story about shifting time and how time anchors our day. The brush strokes of Perspectives are fluid, with muted colors – moving from deep blacks to taupe whites. Dividing these pieces was a means for me to rethink ideas and recurring images in my older work. The very thin gold leaf applied to each piece has a wonderful amber tone. This gold leaf is from Myanmar, where it is used as decoration for Buddha or for the dome of a temple or monastery. In the drawings, the gold element relates to the sense of infinity – like the sky in an enclosed courtyard. An architectural element is a critical component in my studio work that I wanted to carry over into these pieces. I envisioned a courtyard–a safe space that opens up to the sky. Unfolding circles define the beginnings of an open interior space. The process felt open-ended. It was an opportunity to get lost in thought and to give me an opportunity to reflect, muse and declutter my thinking. Then repeat. 40 days...

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...

Tessa Grundon's "Wave Hill" is a 41 x 41-inches artwork composed of 16 handmade paper squares. Grundon's work often references the topography and history of a place and its ever-chan...

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...

Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artif...