Release and be Free
We have all heard the proverbial stories of ideas and the association with napkins. The ideation is always associated with, the impulse, the stroke of genius released by the designer in a moment of clarity. The media is a lonely, unassuming, simple, and everyday purposeful napkin. The napkin’s purpose however is elevated from that of sanitation to canvas. The series, Release and be free, also uses the napkin as a canvas but its purpose is not for ideation. Release and be Free is a meditative approach to release frustration and to seek places to escape. None of the drawings are of actual places, and none were executed by looking at pictures. In fact, Release and be Free was executed at two locations, a University library looking out a window and sitting at a bar. In both locations what occurred were contemplation and a remedy to release frustration. The napkin was chosen as a key piece and the canvas of choice. The choice was to be able to control pen weight and pen depth in order for the drawing to heal as it developed the space from the initial stroke. Release and be Free features one-point and two-point perspectives as well as elevations. The spaces created came at the moment of drawing without any preparation. At the end of the process, Release and be Free fulfilled its purpose. Just as an ideation drawing contains essence, Release and be Free penetrates the essence in each line drawing. With each stroke the release of frustration was set free until at the end it was gone and what remained were places to go to be free. Napkins are now a treasure and therapy, accepting the art that has been released.