Rob Carpenter

“Paths of Moving Points” is the title I chose for this body of work in the year 2012. Though each drawing has the same title, I add at the signature line the month, day and year, to distinguish one drawing from another.

“The path of a moving point” is the art textbook definition of the element of line. You put your pen or pencil on a piece of paper and you make a point. When you move that pen or pencil, the point becomes a line. So that is what I do. Over the course of a drawing, I draw a lot of lines… lots and lots of lines. Line is the only man-made element of art. The other elements are shape, texture, color and value, and they all exist in nature. Lines do not. Line, that rogue element, can be used to visually create a shape, suggest texture, and simulate value. It can have color too. Line is one “badass” element of art.

This series has evolved since 2012. The earliest works began as flat patterns of line. They looked like place mats, as one artist friend suggested. They needed only to be laminated to ward off water and gravy stains! I didn’t like the notion of flat patterns of line, so I set about changing my approach. The drawings became much more complex (more lines!). They began to resemble “weavings” or “tapestries”, folks would often say. Indeed, the lines did assume the quality of threads that had intertwined themselves visually on the paper.

By late 2017, the “fabric” analogy had become tiresome to me and I began to push the work in an opposite direction. I wanted something solid, something hard, something more monolithic. I set about to achieve this goal. These drawings were simpler. There was a minimal amount of the breakup of space and a minimal amount of color. If anything was maximized, it was the number of lines. Increased density gave the drawings the solidity and singular presence that I was seeking.

So, here we are now in 2023. An initial look reveals that same monolithic appearance, but a new element has come into play. Look further and you will see that the edges have softened and some parts disappear altogether. The individual works have become more atmospheric and ephemeral. I identify with the drawings more, as my hard edges have softened and I have become more mellow.

Studio visit with Rob Carpenter courtesy of the In The Studio series produced by the Baton Rouge Gallery - center for contemporary art.

Artist Talk with Rob Carpenter courtesy of the ARTiculate series produced by the Baton Rouge Gallery - center for contemporary art.