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New primitives

Media: Silver gelatin prints

The New Primitives series takes composition back to perhaps the most primitive visual element available: a single, straight line. The series is a search for compositions that can successfully exist within this extremely restricted vocabulary.

Each composition is made of between 5,000 and 10,000 straight lines.

Complementing the visual language, every print follows simple rules so that anyone can create the image using just a ruler, a mark-making tool, and time. One set of “start” lines are created. Another set of “stop” lines are also created. A point anywere on a “start” line is picked. A line is then drawn to a point anywere on an “stop” line. The sizes and positions of the “start” and “stop” lines in relation to each other determines the balance of values, textures, as well the rest of the composition.

Here are the “starts” for Zipcut:

Here are the “stops” for Zipcut:

Here is a timelapse of Zipcut being drawn from the “starts” to the “stops”: