Fran Gallun

I continued to love working with the old photos through 2010 and 2011. Then the addition of the monotype pieces made their entrance with “Many Worlds” in 2012, and in trying to work with all of the moving pieces of that one, I incorporated India ink, something I love and is often a fall-back medium for me. That is, when in doubt, pick up the pen and ink, or some colored pencils, or a small watercolor brush, and doodle.

Here I will acknowledge Len Weinberg, my husband, who many times has said, I love your ink drawings, let’s see more of that”. This is from a complete non-artist!

I love the ink drawings too, and enjoy what they add to the work.

“North to South” was done in 2013, and borrows from the photos to extend the landscape. “View of the Hills” quickly followed, and then I went on to big ones which became “Lush Garden” and “Desert Blooms”.

I like India ink because it’s a centuries-old material, and the scritch-scrachiness of the metal nib on heavy paper is so satisfying and immediate. I also love the tiny marks one can make and, I find that pen and ink also brings to my mind the beautiful black ink letters in the Torah.