Week 2 : Mark Making & Collage
Today I experienced some kinds of mark making such as continuous line & Systematic. In-class activities are drawing with not looking at the page, nontinuous line, none dominant hand and using one simple shapein 1 minute and 5 minutes. Then, I applied collage to make poetry.
With just 1 minute per 1 painting, it is difficult for me to like all of them but I think mark making is some kinds of unique for designs, so the imperfect parts look interesting in its way. I found it really chill because I dont need to overthink about it should be captured in the perfect way. It also works with 5-minutes process, but i can do more details on the paintings.
Artist: Julie Mehretu
Julie Mehretu (born November 28, 1970) is an Ethiopian American contemporary visual artist. Mehretu’ s work is informed by a multitude of sources including politics, literature and music. I felt inspired by her use of layering techniques, combining strong technical lines with soft brushstrokes of color. I felt it depicted energy and movement. For a Landscape Architecture student, her work helped translate space into an energetic visual language through the Mark Making technique.
The brushstrokes are not confined within a ruler like in technical drawings. She uses large, blurred, calligraphic brushstrokes, creating a sense of freedom and rhythm in her paintings.The appearance of vibrant yet mottled patches of color creates a moody backdrop for the bold black brushstrokes above.
Treatises on the Executed, (from Robin’s Intimacy), 2022
The “Treatises on the Executed” (2022) is one of the collaborations between Julie Mehretu and poet Robin Coste Lewis, based on the post-Covid pandemic context.
In this work, Mehretu engages in a complex dialogue between technology and craftsmanship. She uses airbrushing to create ethereal color halos, mists, and soft gradients. This layer acts as a visual link between the smooth digital print background and the subsequent hand-drawn strokes, creating a captivating atmospheric perspective.
Above this ethereal background, Mehretu places bold, sharp black marks using technical drawing pens or specialized brushes. These marks are no longer confined by the rules of rulers or dry technical drawings; they are large, calligraphic brushstrokes, conveying a sense of rhythm and absolute freedom.
The contrast between the vibrant yet mottled patches of color as a background and the bold black brushstrokes above creates a mood-stirring setting. It is this juxtaposition of the smoothness of printing technology and the rough, powerful nature of hand-drawn lines that defines her unique markmaking language.
From Julie Mehretu, I learned the concept of building space using layers of information instead of just drawing static shapes. I will apply a technique combining the digital platform Illustrator and freehand drawing to my landscape project. Using strokes and smudges to depict the energy of traffic flow or wind direction will help my drawing not only be technically accurate but also expressive and have depth.
Reference:
Marian Goodman Gallery (2015). Julie Mehretu. [online] Marian Goodman. Available at: https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/51-julie-mehretu/%5BAccessed: 19 February 2026].
Marian Goodman Gallery (2023) Julie Mehretu: With an Installation by Robin Coste Lewis. Available at: https://youtu.be/puM4rUirO4M?si=ovtqtC2OANmXt6ff [Accessed: 19 February 2026].
Phuong Vi Nguyen 