Ann Griffin Art: Marching Forwards/ Looking Backwards

My latest work has changed since my last series. This body of work reflects current fears and issues related to getting around. These works are all in ballpoint pen, a medium that I have grown to love over the past years for its expressive boldness. It started with a goal of getting involved with a community I never thought I would fit into; the car show. I integrated myself in the community even though I was not licensed to drive or knowledge of cars. My medical condition and personal fears prevent me from driving and it often stunts a lot of opportunities in life. I began drawing whole cars and eventually focused on headlights and taillights because they often are associated with eyes and references how I can look at cars for as long as I desire, but I may never have the privilege of owning one. I chose to use ink and ballpoint pens because it reflects the mechanical nature of the car and is suited well to the metallic nature of cars. I started with black and white formal observations of headlights, as you can see in Nissan 1/14, where I thoroughly appreciate the form of the headlight. I then moved onto the taillights where I abstract and translate the forms, as seen in Prius 8/14, making the car as unreachable to my audience as it is to me. This series is still expanding into larger abstractions, straying further from observation and I personally deal with the complications with relying on others for transportation.

The Big Idea:

As stated above, my goal is to make driving and transportation as unreachable to my audience as it is to me. I aim to conceal the utilitarian purpose of headlights and taillights and present them as formal and aesthetically pleasing objects, by zooming in and abstracting the lights. Through this act, I hope to bring my audience to my level of understanding and realize that traveling by car is not simply available to all, but is a privilege that many can utilize. You can see my act of concealing and abstraction in these three key pieces out of a series of fourteen.

Nissan 1/14, 11”x 8.5” Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Ford Focus 6/14, 11”x 8.5”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Prius 8/14, 11”x 11”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

The Rest:

Audi A6 2/14, 11”x 8.5”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Altima 10/14, 11”x 8.5”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Porsche 4/14, 8”x 8”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Scion FR-5 5/14, 10”x 8”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Nissan 9/14, 8”x 8”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

BMW 7/14, 11”x 9”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Mazda Rx 11/14, 10”x 9”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Infinite Q50 12/14, 11”x 8”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Honda 13/14, 12”x 9”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Jeep 3/14, 11”x 10”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Nissan 14/14, 11”x 9”, Ballpoint Pen, 2014

Here is some more recent work about how I am linked to the world and how the world is linked to me. I have been working with chain mail, which inspired me to think about linkages and how cars can link people in ways that maybe aren't always considered.