Pick A Card, 2021

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on abused paper

A rumination on the illusory nature of "free will"

Pick A Card, detail

the eye in the circle above the hands

A Walk In The Park, 2021

Based on Runnymede Park - right across the street from my studio. I spend a lot of time there. 7 panels. Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper 64" x 72"

Just finished reading Robert MacFarlane's Underland. Helped me focus some thought on connectivity. Also a riff on Bosch - heaven, earth, and the nether world

Roots 1, from A Walk in the Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 22" x 30"

Clouds 1, detail from A Walk In The Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 22" x 30"

Roots 2, detail from A Walk In The Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 22" x 30"

Ant, detail from a Walk In The Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 12" x 30"

Park,detail from A Walk In The Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 12" x 64"

Housefinch, detail from A Walk In The Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 12" x 30". I haven't decided whether one bird moving, two birds, or one bird with two heads. All the options appeal

Cloud 2, detail from A Walk In The Park

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil on paper. 22" x 30"

So, What Do You Know?

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil, spray paint through hand cut stencils on multiple pieces of abused paper. About 6 feet x 12 feet.

Early in the summer of COVID 2020, a severe storm uprooted a massive oak tree in the park across the street from my studio. The trunk lay there for weeks, and became the focus for parents and kids. People loved to walk on it. Like us puny humans had finally conquered nature. As if!

Detail, from So, What Do You Know

Charcoal, carbon and coloured pencil, spray paint through hand cut stencils on pieces of abused paper.

The Girl In The Park, the book

Another COVID challenge between my partner, Sue, who is a poet and myself. Sue presented me with a poem, "The Girl In The Park". I responded by making three large X shaped drawings. You can see my original images (without the text) by scrolling a few screens right

This hand made book now brings the words and the imagery together into an intimate mash up. There are a number of iterations of this collaboration. In this case an actual accordian book. Although I prefer to think of it as a 3D sculptural piece. The back of the of book/sculpture is an inverted version of the front.

You can also experience a digital version by going to https://www.flipsnack.com/mcclymentbookprojects/the-girl-in-the-park.html.

Girl in the Park, detail, front

The Girl in the Park, detail, back

The Girl in the Park, Part 3, 2020

A response to a COVID challenge from my partner, Sue Bracken, who is a poet. She gave me a poem, "The Girl In The Park", which is full of delicious visual evocation. This is the third and last installment of imagery.

Charcoal, coloured pencil on cut out paper. About 48" x 48"

Here is the complete poem by Sue Bracken,

Girl in the Park

Now

she sleeps in a stemmed halo
of light
false park protection

Near her a babyless carriage
as life cart

A red dress
billows from a rusted hanger
on an oak clothes line

a peony in the night

The wind will iron
its creases

Tomorrow
she will don that dress
it will correct her

A calla lily at dawn
she will erase herself

The Girl in the Park, Part 2. 2020

A response to a COVID challenge from my partner, who is a poet. She gave me a poem, "The Girl In The Park", which is full of delicious visual evocation. This is the second image in a series of three.

Charcoal, coloured pencil on cut out paper. About 48" x 48"

The Girl In The Park, Part 1, 2020

A response to a COVID challenge from my partner, who is a poet. She gave me a poem, "The Girl In The Park", which is full of delicious visual evocation. This is my first response. I plan at least two more images - maybe more.
Charcoal, coloured pencil on cut out paper. About 48" x 48"

Girl In the Park, complete

All three images together. We live right across the street from a small, but beautiful urban park - a real jewel of grass and trees in a concrete, urban environment. People frequently sleep rough there. Hence the subject of the poem and these images.

The colour in the drawing is deliberately muted - mostly blacks with hints of colour. The two diamond squares - one dark blue and one dark purple - hint at the saturation of colour that the poem evokes in my imagination.

Girl in the Park, 2020, studio installation

Gives a better idea of scale

The Girl In The Park, Part 1, detail

A detail showing some of the wholes cut into the image.

The Girl In The Park, Part 1, detail

Xcess & Ohhs, Words by Sue Bracken, Images by David McClyment

Sue, my partner a poet, and I have been challenging each other all through COVID. In this case, I presented Sue with a small book based on my series of images, "Band Aids For Worrisome Times". You can see the original images by scrolling right a few screens.

In this case, Sue responded with 12 poems. One responding to each image. The poems and the images are not meant to be captions/illustrations of each other. Rather departure points along two different but parallel paths of exploration. This book 8.5 x 11 inches.

You can also enjoy a digital version by going to: https://www.flipsnack.com/mcclymentbookprojects/xcess-ohhs.html

Xcess & Ohhs, detail, inside page spread

Each two page spread presents the image, and the poem that it inspired in Sue. You will note that each page is hand printed, abused, and then mounted in the book by the artist team.

FYI - the complete series of poems by Sue is titled "Wondering When To Worry"

Xcess & Ohhs, image detail

Excess & Ohhs, poem detail

Excess & Ohhs, image detail

Excess & Ohhs, poem detail

Bonding Reflex #13 in the Excess and Ohhs series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Pressure Point, #12 in the Excess and Ohhs series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Pressure Point, #11 in the Excess and Ohhs series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

I Just Want the Centre to Stop Spinning, #10 in the Excess and Ohhs series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

The Fish Bite Just Before the Rain, #9 in the Excess and Ohhs series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Krazy Kat Kraves Kake (but ends up with pie) #8 in the Excess and Ohhs Series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Pill Popper, #7 In the Excess and Ohhs series, 2020

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Mean Crow Walking, #6 in the series Excess and Ohhs

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on paper. About 30 in x 30 i

You are the Labyrinth, #5 in the series Excess and Ohhs, 2020

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Faster Than The Eye, almost, #4 in Excess and Ohhs series, 2020 Excess & Ohhs, 2020

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on paper. About 30 in x 30 i

The Fish Refuse To Shed A Tear, #3 in the Excess and Ohhs series

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on abused paper. About 30 in x 30 i

I Am What I Ate, #2 in the Excess & Ohhs, 2020

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Even A Whisper Can Deafen Once Heard, #1 in the Exess & Ohhs, 2020

Stencied imagery, drawing, collage and a whole lot of other things on paper. About 30 in x 30 i

Passage, 2019

Charcoal, spray paint, digitally processed imagery collaged onto abused paper. Two panels. Each panel approx 60 in x 50 in.

Detail, Passage.

Upclose, the direction of the charcoal, and pencil marks, reinforced by the sanding line add energy

Detail, Passage, left panel.

Is the storm "coming" or "going". Going is printed in reverse on the right panel