Bull of the Plains Drawing

The "bull" has a long history in art. I have always loved Picasso's bulls, but I use the bull in the way Jim Dine used bathrobes and hearts, and Monet used hay stacks. They are something to hang paint on. For me it's more about the exploration and adventure of what happens in the process of making art. Bulls are cool. I start with "bull" and go from there. I remember on this one I thought about riding in the back of the van on tour with my band. When I am in the great plains I imaging bison everywhere and how it used to be there not that long ago. The bison are bulls now and the pioneers have come and gone and now we have shopping malls and sprawl. I like to play with time in my work and let the fact that it doesn't exit show. Art and time are both about the illusion. As an artist I feel an obligation to the viewer and myself to create something that provokes excitement and wonder. I like art and music that feels new in some way every time you look at it. It is alive. Technique The drawing part of this painting was made by first creating a wet sheet of black ink the same size as the drawing and placing it over the paper. Then I draw on that and transfer/print onto the surface. That is what creates the great textures and surprises. When it works I am in a trance like state and don't think but react. I don't see what I get until I remove the sheet and see the transferred image. This technique is called an "ink transfer drawing" in some circles. I use this to start and then build on that with paint.