Addy and Arthur – pen and ink drawing 81 x 44 inches

March 11, 2013 I completed this drawing. I painted a large sheet of exceptionally heavy hot press watercolor paper with many layers of carbon black, yellow, blue, and magenta pigment. It produced a wonderful dotty grain and the color quality, though neutral, is so satisfyingly complex and varied.

I began drawing Addy and Arthur. Arthur Hwang is a London physician, artist, and scholar. I met him when he curated the Gau Brothers’ exhibition at the Kemper Museum of Art here in Kansas City and we became good friends. Later, Arthur stayed with us while he and his friend Addy Lam visited Kansas City and my studio.  Addy is an important Hong Kong dealer of Chinese antiquities. Very fun and interesting people!

This paper seemed more absorbent than usual and the white ink was almost transparent in single layers. Because the ground is so deep in value, the black ink also didn’t produce as much contrast as usual, so there’s a subtlety in the broad areas where white approaches black and the grainy paper coloration makes a kind of visual noise.