Ephemeral Drawing
Tuesday April 24, 2007
When the barrista drew artful caramel swirls on my coffee today, I really wanted to ask if I could have a go....but I didn't. If you're as compulsive an artist as me, you've probably done quite a bit of ephemeral drawing yourself. Pristine white beach sand needs you to pick up a stick and draw, doesn't it? Painting Guide, Marion Boddy-Evans, sent me a link to this tutorial on drawing with light - and while you might argue that since you need a camera, it's photography, you're just using the camera to record the drawing. Right? Same deal as with recording a Christo event. Ok, let's not go there.
I was pleased to discover the art of Mehndi - I'd seen it before, but hadn't realized that it has become a popular art form. It seems to be appearing in contexts outside of its traditional association with rituals and celebrations, although often referring to them in some way. A wonderful way to explore body decoration without the permanence of a tattoo. Probably my most ephemeral drawings are the edible ones drawn with icing (frosting). Home-made cookies never last long in our house!
Photo Courtesy Irum Shahid
Comments
what do you mean by ephemeral?
Hi Pat, ephemeral means something that lasts a very short time, something fleeting or transitory. I think sometimes in art the term relates also to the idea of ‘ephemera’, which covers a wide range of written and printed items, especially personal letter and documents, postcards and photographs, as well as commercially printed, disposable things like theatre tickets and baseball cards.
The idea of the ephemeral is in direct opposition to the permanence and durability that most artists strive for in their work - using acid-free paper and lightfast pigments.