James Drake: 1242
by Kathryn Kanjo
Three years ago, the artist James Drake (born 1946) began the ambitious project of creating 1,242 drawings that would trace and reference all of the developments of his multifaceted career. Known as both a sculptor and video artist, Drake has always considered draftsmanship to be a key to his process, and this body of drawings does not disappoint. It is both a fascinating tour of Drake’s creative thinking and a testament to the simple power of graphite and ink on paper in the hands of a master of the craft. The volume is published to accompany a touring exhibition (titled The Anatomy of Drawing and Space) opening at The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in July 2014 – the largest show of Drake’s work to date.