"Drawing is thinking." - Joseph Beuys

DRAWN IN celebrates the immediacy and intimacy of drawing - a medium that gives artists the freedom to express raw ideas and spontaneous thoughts.  Whether working in graphite, watercolor, gouache, or pen and ink, contemporary artists have gravitated to this classic medium because of its adaptability and the diversity it provides. 

The artist's works presented in this exhibition demonstrate a wide variety of methods and approaches, from the intricate and highly personal compositions of Marianela de la Hoz to the heavily worked and patterned mixed media drawings of Helene Wilder to Roman Miranda's ruminations on death and relationships.  What unites these artists and artworks with one another is their common interest in the brain-to-hand connection that allows for the most direct expression of ideas.

DRAWN IN frees drawing from the old-fashioned concept of "sketching", recognizing it as a highly diverse art form that provides an arena for narrative, character development, political commentary and critique. The goal of this exhibition is to represent drawing as a distinct medium within contemporary art, a medium that fosters innovation, experimentation, and is ever-evolving.

DRAWN IN features figurative drawings from throughout the Americas and Asia. Figure studies by Hugo Crosthwaite, introduce a cast of characters, inspiring his latest series of monumental graphite and charcoal canvases that will debut in New York this Fall.  Selections from Cambodian artist Saphan's Incognito series, deal with ideas of freedom born through self-imposed privacy and concealment.  Robert Nelson juxtaposes the playful with serious, using toys and Kewpie Dolls to reflect the horrors of war. Lui Yan explores historical and contemporary sexuality and femininity using traditional Chinese drawing materials.

DRAWN IN includes historical works by famed modern artists, Gunther Gerzso, Ethel Greene and Francisco Zúñiga. Exhibited works include Gerzso's figurative musings based in Surrealism, done as a young man while associating with artists including Wolfgang Paalen, Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington in Mexico City.  Subtly haunting pastel and watercolor drawings by Ethel Greene (1912-1999), a renowned surrealist from San Diego, hang alongside a pair of lush pastel drawings by Francisco Zúñiga in which the artist explores the nuances of the female form, depicting volume and sentiment with his virtuoso drawn line.

DRAWN IN invites you to experience the vast possibilities offered by the ubiquitous pencil or lone stick of charcoal. As a group, these artists demonstrate the extensive variety of methods, narratives, mediums and scale that all fall under the umbrella of drawing.  As individuals, each artist offers their viewers a glimpse into a highly personal world where spontaneous images, ideas and thoughts have been given a forum.

Gretchen Van Camp, Guest Curator for DRAWN IN

Gretchen Van Camp has been a curator at Van Cleve Fine Art since 2003.  She specializes in contemporary Latin American art and previously curated Perspectivas/Perspectives for Noel-Baza Fine Art in 2008. Gretchen began her curatorial work as assistant to the curator for San Diego Museum of Art's 2002 exhibition, Axis Mexico.