Decorating and the Art of Drawing

JP Teugels Salle A Manger, a favorite flea market find

I was so happy to see Michael Graves column on the lost art of drawing in architecture.  I have long thought producing simple hand sketches in our end of the business is a pleasurable pursuit and an effective tool for getting ideas across. I had not thought of it in an organized way, but Mr Graves assertion that "Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive the technology gets. Drawings are not just end products: they are part of the thought process of architectural design. Drawings express the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands." struck a chord with me.  

Michael Graves Temples of Juno and Neptune, Paestum, 1961

Though I am not an architect and do not present many hand drawn images to our clients, we render our floor plans in richly layered colors we know the client loves. The sensuous experience of doing that adds to the enjoyment in thinking about what might please the client.

Ellen Hanson Illustration of Table with Leaves, 2009

And sometimes we send a small sketch to a workroom showing a design detail to the fabricator.  Graves says "In a handmade drawing, whether on an electronic tablet or on paper, there are intonations, traces of intentions and speculation. This is not unlike the way a musician might intone a note or how a riff in jazz would be understood subliminally and put a smile on your face."

Ellen Hanson, Leg Detail for a Workroom, 2012

After months of rushing around to prepare purchase orders and meet deadlines, it is time to sharpen the colored pencils, unzip the pouch of markers and open a roll of yellow flimsy.

Michael Graves, Denver Library South Facade Sketch 1991