Sprankton

When I first saw the work of Evan Summer I was not too sure what I was looking at and if I even liked it. My first introduction of anything of his was the colorful bug that is on the cover of all the postcards. "Okay, here is a bug that looks pretty, what could his work possibly be about" is what I thought. Before I saw his prints in person I went onto his website to get a little background information on him and to give me a clue as to what I would be seeing more of. It wasn't until after hearing him talk about his prints and actually seeing them I got to understand what he was about and why he was making them. It might be obvious, but it is not until after I hear the artist talk about their work for me to either understand or to make a lasting opinion about what it is that I have seen. I have never seen prints up close and in person, so seeing the prints by Evan Summer was quite a treat.

After seeing most of his artwork, whether it is prints, drawings, or etchings, I was very impressed with the quality in which he uses lines. After all, line must be thoroughly thought about when using this medium. I believe it was LANDSCAPE XVI that Evan printed for us to see in his workshop. This etching, engraving, has such a great quality of line that makes up the architectural forms. When I looked up at it closely with a magnifying glass I was able to see every single line that he had made in that copper plate, there must have been thousands of him. It is this micro/macrocosm relationship that I really enjoy in his work. To the average viewer, the print is what it appears to be, an etching of this architectural form in an abstracted landscape. But what I like to enjoy besides the overall print are all of the lines that create it. I like to acknowledge all the minor lines that are so close to each other that make up the whole piece.

His piece titled LANDSCAPE XX is another that is visually appealing. The prints that are in this show share something in common; there are no humans to be found. What he is showing us is the presence of humans suggested only by these structures in the landscapes. It seems as if they were built then suddenly abandoned. This gives me a sense of loneliness and depression, especially in LANDSCAPE XX. The overall mood being shown is of despair. This emptiness in the blue water and far beyond into the horizon is almost overpowering. The lines that he uses resemble rain, which augments this sensation. I don't know what Evan wanted to portray in this particular piece, but I get a strong response from it. It may not be the one he intended, but I think that is okay. One of the great things about art, especially the art that I make, is that there is room for one's own interpretation. I like to leave things a little ambiguous so each person can have their own take on it. After all, I think it is quite a let down when I attach a certain emotion or translate my own meaning into something and later find out that is not what it was intended to be.