Unrestrained Drawing

I don't usually accept residencies in the summer - too hot for the uninitiated and too hot for me. On exception is China Adams, who was amongst the first group of residents in 2012 and who is a regular visitor to the desert in the summer after the academic year is over.

It was a pleasure to welcome China back for her second residency. This time she was focused on a relatively new drawing practice - meditative, intensely dense pen ink drawings that find their inspiration in nature. The forms of the recent drawings allude to tree rings, water and fungus. 

China's practice is to get into the studio, tune out the world and draw for hours on end. Her walk to the studio took in the rock walls behind BoxoHOUSE and very soon they began to appear in the drawings. As they gained momentum, China began to feel that this was the beginning of a new series - drawings that are inspired by rock walls in various locations in California and potentially New Mexico.

Alongside her residency, China was generous enough to provide work for the Active Resistance exhibition curated by John Luckett and myself for Art Queen, Joshua Tree in conjunction with their annual Stonewall celebration and commemoration event.
 
 

We opened the exhibition on June 11 and then held China's open house on June 18 - a wonderful burst of activity which culminated in the Stonewall event itself on June 25. China's open house was another record hot day and we welcomed a keen group to view the work, enjoy some cold refreshments and have a chat with China. Many thanks to China for her presence here this month and looking forward to future projects together.