dearkimlow.com

Artwork and letters by hand, documenting simple pleasures, elusive moods, and humble stories.

(2024)

Experiments No. 3

Dimensions

5.25″ × 8.25″ sketchbook

Materials

Sketchbook; cover-weight paper stock; marker, pen, pencil, ink, colored pencil; thread and string; acid-free paper adhesive

unavailable / artist’s collection

A rough marker and ink sketch of Land’s End sprawls across the page, adorned by a small flock of pencilled pigeons, a scrap of salmon-colored paper decorated by a scalloped edge, and tiny swatches of colored pencil in oranges and light grays. The sketch is labeled: Ocean Beach / Land’s End / Jan. 5. A paper-based interpretation of a textile motif: crimson rhomboids layered on white sketchbook paper. A loose arrangement of landscape sketches exploring relationships between sky, flora, and earth. Two small paper ships of navy, white, and warm tones sail across a blue paper sea punctuated by cut out clouds. Simple sketches of the ships and an abstract cutout of navy paper accompany the ships. A paper reproduction of the iconic Garden-brand strawberry-flavored candy is nestled in the midst the real candies and bits of gold and red paper. Marker sketches in browns and greens showcase views along a train ride down the Central Coast: rolling landscapes with wire fences and electrical posts; shrubs at the foot of golden hills, and tiny white flowers on graceful green stalks. Accompanying the sketches are the prose: looking east / looking west / towards Paso Robles / (and down). A narrow marble fireplace mantel is adorned by a white paper house, a tiny earthy mug, and a dried philodendron leaf. White cotton twine, affixed with grass green thread, roaming in squiggles and loops across peach-toned paper.
I.

At the beginning of the year, I promised myself that I’d use a sketchbook for experiments and mixed media. I had grand ambitions to use it regularly—maybe every day, or every other day, at least—for drawing, recording, planning, imagining, and collecting random tidbits from life.

The dream started at the end of 2023, and it was part of an annually recurring pattern. Stuck in a mode of churning out dozens of holiday cards, I yearned to think more creatively and make new things. I needed to experiment. I wanted to play with new tools. I was swayed by the possibilities in exploring new ideas. I dreamed of increasing my creative output. New ideas popped up like mushrooms after the rain.

II.

This year was the first year that I made it a habit. While I didn’t use the journal nearly as often as I’d imagined, I still found myself experimenting regularly. In the nature of experiments, most of the output isn’t worth showing. These handful of pages are the ones that went somewhere.