James Nares, Untitled, 2014, ink on paper, 60 x 95 inches
As in his “Brushstroke” paintings and “Road Paint” series, James
Nares has fashioned his own tools to create a new action series: “Speed
Drawings”. This body of work on paper is created with ink and
brushes and may be described as paintings but Nares views them as drawings as
they are about line. They are also about speed - in the process of their making
and in the result. Not unlike the Damien Hirst “Spin” paintings, Nares has
incorporated a motorized mechanism to create the thrust necessary to make this
work. Large scale paper is affixed to a steel drum powered by a motor making it
spin at high speed. Then he delivers a steady flow of medium with brushes he’s fashioned with an ink reservoir delivering a steady flow of medium like a fountain pen would, allowing for a continuous delivery
of ink without the interruption of refilling his brush.
The method of art making
on a speeding drum has allowed Nares to create a still work that captures speed.
Similar to a photograph documenting speed with a blurred image, these “drawings” comprised of many lines
alluding to the blur of movement from a distance but at close inspection show the detail in the process. The saturation of color in each line delivers a crisp punctuation and the
shifting of color from heavier to lighter creates an effect similar
to light falling on rippled yardage of silk.
The magnitude of this extraordinary new body of work cannot be
understood from images on-line. This is a “must-see” exhibition at Paul Kasmin
Gallery, 293 10th Avenue, NY. The opening is tonight 6-8pm. The fall
season for Chelsea is off to the races with Speed Drawings by James Nares!
