Drew Shiflett. Paper and Canvas – Constructed Drawings

About

Drew Shiflett’s constructed drawings have a subtle yet profound impact, one that captures the gaze and draws the viewer deep into the architecture of the work. Comprised of layers of cut and torn handmade paper and canvas, the works mimic systems of weaving or three-dimensional cross hatching. Having worked predominantly in paper and cheesecloth with her previous exhibitions, Shiflett introduces the element of ripped and cut canvas into her work for this show, further exploring the fractal lattice of her Post-Minimalist grids.

Shiflett cuts handmade paper and canvas into thin strips before gluing and layering the pieces into intuitive grids which she further marks with a hatching of graphite, ink, watercolor and Conté crayon. The drawings document the passage of time—as well as slow it down—and expand the moment of initial gaze into a meditation into the archaeology of her process. The results are densely layered compositions that straddle a space between sculpture and drawing and meticulously explore the concentrated landscape of the grid.