These two artifacts are highly connected both visually and mentally. Beginning with my introduction to drawing and composition, I learned the fundamentals of hand rendering. My Jacques Villon inspired sketches laid the groundwork for the rest of my artistic journey, and have continued to inspire me over the past four years. They represent my introduction to artistic studies and endeavors. As such, they hold a special place in my wealth of experiences. My Artist Sketch Study taught me patience and caution as I iterated line after line to fill the negative space on each four by six inch blank notecard.

            Utilizing that same patience, I built up a series of curvilinear lines in my Independent Sketch Study, layering lines over top of one another in a looser and more organic style than Villon’s own. Just as with my Villon drawings however, I also use a build up of lines and heavier line weights to create shadows without needing tonal fields or color. However, this technique also allows the image to become three-dimensional as, instead of hard linear edges, the build up of line work indicates softer surfaces and planes rather than an outline on a page.

            Each style is independent of the other, however my own is clearly rooted in a similar logic to that of Villon. The same is true of my architectural design. I begin with studying the work of others, analyzing existing precedents, both historic and contemporary. I draw on their successes and learn from their failures. I discover new ways of completing a design, of structuring or cladding a building, and arranging and developing the programmatic adjacencies within and without it. All this and more simply from exploring existing examples of architecture and recognizing their relevance and importance to my own work.