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Bailin Studio

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On-going

Underdrawings, Destroyed, Reworked

David Bailin is famous for alarming curators and museum guards by altering or attempting to alter his own works after they’ve been installed. One minute David is busily rubbing out and redrawing, the next he’s being strong-armed out of the place.

— Warren Criswell • World In Progress • 2000

  • DROWNING MEN [2Vunderdrawing] • 2023• Charcoal on Paper • 52½ x 60 inches [133 x 152 cm]

    DROWNING MEN [2Vunderdrawing] • 2023• Charcoal on Paper • 52½ x 60 inches [133 x 152 cm]

  • drowning-man-1study • 2023 • Charcoal and Pastel on gessoed Canvas • 13 x 12 inches

    drowning-man-1study • 2023 • Charcoal and Pastel on gessoed Canvas • 13 x 12 inches

  • drowning-man-2study • 2023 • Pencil and Coffee on paper • 15 x 19 inches [Private Collection, Detroit, MI]

    drowning-man-2study • 2023 • Pencil and Coffee on paper • 15 x 19 inches [Private Collection, Detroit, MI]

  • drowning-man-3study • 2023 • Pencil and Oil on paper • 15 x 19 inches [Private Collection, Detroit, MI]

    drowning-man-3study • 2023 • Pencil and Oil on paper • 15 x 19 inches [Private Collection, Detroit, MI]

  • DROWNING MEN [underdrawing] • 2022• Charcoal on Paper • 52½ x 60 inches [133 x 152 cm]

    DROWNING MEN [underdrawing] • 2022• Charcoal on Paper • 52½ x 60 inches [133 x 152 cm]

  • DROWNING [underdrawing] • 2022• Charcoal on Paper • 52½ x 60 inches [133 x 152 cm]

    DROWNING [underdrawing] • 2022• Charcoal on Paper • 52½ x 60 inches [133 x 152 cm]

  • DUXBURY • 2017 • Walnut Ink Paper • 72 x 72 inches [183 x 183 cm]

    DUXBURY • 2017 • Walnut Ink Paper • 72 x 72 inches [183 x 183 cm]

  • GRADUATION underdrawing V3 • Charcoal, Acrylic, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72 x 83 inches [198 x 211 cm]

    GRADUATION underdrawing V3 • Charcoal, Acrylic, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72 x 83 inches [198 x 211 cm]

  • GRADUATION underdrawing V2 • Charcoal, Acrylic, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72 x 83 inches [198 x 211 cm]

    GRADUATION underdrawing V2 • Charcoal, Acrylic, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72 x 83 inches [198 x 211 cm]

  • LAKE UNDERDRAWING V2 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    LAKE UNDERDRAWING V2 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • LAKE UNDERDRAWING V1 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    LAKE UNDERDRAWING V1 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • HOUSE underdrawing • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    HOUSE underdrawing • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • SLIPPAGE 1 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    SLIPPAGE 1 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • SLIPPAGE 1 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    SLIPPAGE 1 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • PUSH v1 • 2013 • Charcoal, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72½ x 76½ inches [155 x 194 cm]

    PUSH v1 • 2013 • Charcoal, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72½ x 76½ inches [155 x 194 cm]

  • POST v2 • 2013 • Charcoal, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72 X 76 inches [183 x 193 cm]

    POST v2 • 2013 • Charcoal, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72 X 76 inches [183 x 193 cm]

  • AGAINST THE DAY v2 • 2014 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 78 x 83 inches [198 x 211 cm]

    AGAINST THE DAY v2 • 2014 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 78 x 83 inches [198 x 211 cm]

  • RAINCOAT v2 • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 84 X 95 inches [213 x 241 cm]

    RAINCOAT v2 • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 84 X 95 inches [213 x 241 cm]

  • RAINCOAT v3 • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 84 X 95 inches [213 x 241 cm]

    RAINCOAT v3 • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 84 X 95 inches [213 x 241 cm]

  • PROCESS v2 • 2010 • Charcoal and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 51½ x 54 inches [131 x 137 cm]

    PROCESS v2 • 2010 • Charcoal and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 51½ x 54 inches [131 x 137 cm]

  • SLIPPAGE v2 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    SLIPPAGE v2 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • SLIPPAGE 2 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

    SLIPPAGE 2 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 83 x 78 inches [211 x 198 cm]

  • CLOUD underdrawing • 2015 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 79 x 75 inches [201 x 190 cm]

    CLOUD underdrawing • 2015 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 79 x 75 inches [201 x 190 cm]

  • BLOCK v3 • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 73 X 84 inches [185 x 213 cm]

    BLOCK v3 • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 73 X 84 inches [185 x 213 cm]

  • PAPERS underdrawing • 2013 • Charcoal, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72½ x 83 inches [155 x 211 cm]

    PAPERS underdrawing • 2013 • Charcoal, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72½ x 83 inches [155 x 211 cm]

  • DRIFT underdrawing • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72½ x 61 inches [155 x 184 cm]

    DRIFT underdrawing • 2013 • Charcoal, Oil, Pastel and Coffee on Prepared Paper • 72½ x 61 inches [155 x 184 cm]

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Statement

I spend many hours moving charcoal from one area of the drawing to another – tracking and tracing ghosts. More charcoal accumulates on my studio floor than on the drawings.

Sometimes seeing just the traces of my footprints provides the only evidence that some kind of life had taken place there. It is at these moments I realize that there is no real difference between the erasure and the drawing.

All of these studies/drawings are destroyed except if drawn in my sketchpad. Most are lying under the skin of finished work serving as pentimenti. In that sense these drawings are valuable in and of themselves. I decided to document them for study purposes but are now serving as inspiration for my newest work.

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