Impermanent Landscapes

A collection of drawings by Caroline Clure

The title for my pieces, Impermanent Landscapes, represents my favorite places and views from my time on the Austin College campus. The things I see in everyday life are constantly changing in small ways. My goal is viewers of my pieces will feel how much impermanence there is in our everyday experiences because of spatial changes due to the passing of time, movement of people and the change of seasons. Drawing in this way, holding the pen down to paper and continuing a line that creates a whole picture, gives me the freedom to express in a way that is not perfect and shows a messiness that can turn out beautiful with time and simplicity.

The inspiration behind my work is I used this style to learn hand-eye coordination. Initially, I created continuous line drawings from panoramic photographs of places like New York City and Paris as well as places I visited in real time like my grandmother's house. I find it fascinating to draw this way as it reflects an imperfect world yet is still beautiful. I love to see where the pen leads me rather than focusing on perfection of solitary, stationary objects.

I make my artwork because I do not feel bad or doubtful of my work. I make it because it is beautiful and simple to me. I love seeing the ever changing landscapes and how time can show different perspectives when spatially drawing the image. I feel a sense of freedom because all that matters is the moment I am in now, not how it should look. I have always had an interest in different places for how they look and how they change in time visually. I like movement and this feels alive to me. This art will always keep me coming back to look again and find something new. It is messy like how I am. I am not perfect in my art. It looks wonky and this setting fits my personal style.

I make my art holding a micron ultra fine point Sharpie as well as typical Sharpie on occasion on white paper while outside or inside on a chair and table I set up. I also use technology on occasion like my monitor to draw certain scenes in a smaller format. I used water color for two pieces, putting it on a plastic bag and creating a splotching effect.

To me, my artwork represents time and change. Nothing is permanent so mistakes cannot be made; only continual progression and movement. My art is synchronous with time in the sense of never being the same to every viewer. It keeps your attention always moving and wanting to see more. It feels as if I am meditating and letting the current take me so that I never worry how it will look exactly. There is no exact look for what I am drawing. It is unique always because the fluidity cannot be recreated exactly as is.