rob lamb carpenter
paths of moving points
aug 29 - sep 21, 2025
FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING: sep 3, FROM 6 - 9PM
ARTICULATE ARTIST TALK: SUNDAY, sep 7, AT 4PM.
NORMAL GALLERY HOURS: TUE - SUN, 12PM - 6PM
FOLLOW US AT BRGALLERY FOR UPDATES AND IMAGES!
Rob Carpenter plays with line to create calculated, eye-pleasing hand drawn tapestries. Deliberately and repetitiously, Carpenter draws each line then layers those lines until they fuse together to become one surface. Upon the completion of each time consuming layer, he steps back and recalculates his next stratum. He adapts and reacts by adjusting line weight, color interaction, and the new line's directional effect on texture. His process is monotonous and tedious, but his finished work is expressive and impressively crafted. Carpenter draws using ink or pencil on paper.
"‘Paths of Moving Points’ is the title I chose for this body of work in the year 2012. Though each drawing has the same title, I add at the signature line the month, day and year of completion in order to distinguish one drawing from another.
“The path of a moving point” is the art textbook definition of the element of line. You put your pen or pencil on a piece of paper and you make a point. When you move that pen or pencil, the point becomes a line. So that is what I do. Over the course of a drawing, I draw a lot of lines… lots and lots of lines (dots, too!) Line is the only man-made element of art. The other elements are shape, texture, color and value, and they all exist in nature. Lines do not. Line, that rogue element, can be used to visually create a shape, suggest texture, and simulate value. It can have color too. Line is one “badass” element of art!
This series has evolved since 2012. The earliest works began as flat patterns of line. They looked like place mats, as one artist friend prosaicly suggested… They needed only to be laminated to ward off water and gravy stains! I didn’t like the notion of flat patterns of line, so I set about changing my approach. The drawings became much more complex (more lines!). They began to resemble “weavings” or “tapestries”, folks would often say. Indeed, the lines did assume the quality of threads that had intertwined themselves visually on the paper.
By late 2017, the “fabric” analogy had become tiresome to me and I began to push the work in an opposite direction. I wanted something solid, something hard, something more monolithic. I set about to achieve this goal. These drawings were simpler. There was a minimal amount of the breakup of space and a minimal amount of color. If anything was maximized, it was the number of lines. Increased density gave the drawings the solidity and singular presence that I was seeking.
So, here we are now in 2025. An initial look reveals that same monolithic appearance, but a new element has come into play. The edges have softened and some parts disappear altogether. Curving lines have joined the rectilinear lines.The individual works have become more atmospheric and ephemeral. I can identify with the drawings more, as my hard edges have softened and I have become more mellow! - Carpenter
This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from David DuBose, Ross Jahnke, and Jill Stoll. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during regular gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from Aug 29 - Sep 21, 2025.