The Red Awl was one of three venues in Arizona participating in Slow Art Day April 13, 2024, a worldwide event that promotes extended looking as a way to engage with art.
Main Street entrance to The Red Awl
We featured four tiny ink on paper drawings by Karen McClanahan, excerpts from a bookwork (four of thirteen distinct original “plates” intended for reproduction in a handmade publication). They are small – measuring in at 1 in. by 1-5/8 in. – slightly larger than a postage stamp. The size of the work offers a unique way in to slow looking as the intimate scale of the artwork insists on a close view. At this scale, slowing down is imperative. McClanahan meticulously drew the tiny abstract compositions using a Bic ballpoint pen, a Micron pen, a straightedge ruler, a steady hand, and high-powered reading glasses.
Ink Vs. Ink, 2024, ink on paper, image: 1 x 1.625 in.; sheet: 4 x 8.125 in.
Wedged, 2024, ink on paper, image: 1 x 1.625 in.; sheet: 4 x 8.125 in.
Exoskeletal, 2024, ink on paper, image: 1 x 1.625 in.; sheet: 4 x 8.125 in.
Eddy, 2024, ink on paper, image: 1 x 1.625 in.; sheet: 4 x 8.125 in.
Upon arrival, our visitors were asked to sign our antique ledger guestbook and invited to read a short statement describing the Slow Art initiative as well as an introduction to McClanahan’s work.
antique ledger book used as a guestbook
Next, we encouraged visitors to look at the tiny drawings – first with an unaided eye and then with a magnifying glass, which allowed them to see the details up close.
selection of magnifying glasses available for close viewing
magnifying glasses and interpretive materials to aid in viewing
a visitor takes a close look at the original drawing Wedged
After viewing the works, visitors moved on to view a portfolio with the additional original book “plates” and the finished book Ink Vs. Ink.
Ink Vs. Ink, 2024, bookwork, 31 sheets, hand embellished cover, 4.125 x 8.25 in.
Seeing the larger context of the four works was important in order to show visitors how the artist achieved a conceptual book narrative using pure abstraction and a humble Bic ballpoint pen.
installation view of the four tiny ink drawings
installation view of Ink Vs. Ink and Wedged
installation view of Exoskeletal and Eddy