This drawing is inspired by the coin-cidence of two factors: (1) assuaging restless nights with the count sheep to fall asleep adage, and (2) taking road-trips across farmlands bearing vast flocks of sheep, each tagged through the ear with a yellow plastic number. Their photographs are traced using oil paint on a large vinyl sheet. To develop better personal relationships, they are also named and arranged into social groupings. The repetition of counting puts one to slumber, and thus names cascade in repetitive list-mantras created around categories of similar sounds such as, “Susan, Sharon, Sammy, Sosa, Sally, Slappy, Sherwood, Sherlock.” However, as this flock is almost endless, it is an exercise in futility to know each sheep. Curious as to a flock’s configuration if situated in a landscape sans boundaries, I differentiated various internal compositions such as a Van Gogh swirling eddy pattern fused with Temple Grandin’s circular flight zone of herd animals, a parent/toddler area, and a crowd surrounding a duel.
Copyright © 2010 - 2017 Marin Abell. info@marinabell.org
counting sheep
marin abell