Interviewsand Articles

 

Alexander Rohrig - Portfolio

by Jane Rosen, May 5, 2019


 

 

Alex Rohrig was Jane Rosen's assistant for several years as well as a beneficiary of her experience as a teacher of drawing. - r. whittaker

Drawing is a wonderful way to get to know someone or something. It bypasses the normal constructs we usually place on observations. Alex Rohrig’s studio is next to two horses he sees every day. His horse studies began with direct observation, pad in hand, using traditional drawing skills from the masters. These more detailed drawings from life helped develop his seeing skills. The drawings have a gestural quality and sensitivity of line, which comes from daily life with the horses. Only after a practice of doing these more realistic drawings could the sculptures take their form. Informed by the drawings, the small, wonderful sculpture (one of several) is done with recycled wood and paint. The sculptures liken Picasso, Calder, Butterfield and Tuttle with their sense of play which comes from studying and knowing a subject well. Interestingly, the more “primitive” drawings came last, and were informed by the sculpture. Their simple, knowing lines speak of the essence of the horse and the feelings evoked by these massive and endearing beings. Alex has a gift for seeing both the humor and the essence of that which is observed. —Jane Rosen 










 

About the Author

Jane Rosen is a well known artist with a deep feeling for nature made visible via her masterful drawings and glass and stone sculptures. She taught drawing at SVA, Stanford and UC Berkeley, and is a consulting editor for works & conversations.

 

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