CAM 2012 preview: Texas Draws II

Drawing water from a well, drawing conclusions from evidence, draw out the truth, draw a paycheck, drawing splinters, and drawing to a close, Michael W. Smith's lyrics, "Draw me close to you, Never let me go..." Drawing, evidently, is more than putting pencil to paper. This month Southwest School of Art investigates the possibilities of an extended drawing practice in "Texas Draws II," the second edition their state-wide biennial.

One key contributor is Daniel Adame, a dancer from Houston whose practice bridges performance and visual art. In "Marker Head Marker" he strapped a pot-shaped helmet holding a piece of chalk to his head and used his body-movement skills to inscribe an interweaving matrix on board, recorded in a series of photographs. Anne Allen traces marks made on the body. Her partner is an adept in geocaching: a high-risk real-world game where players use longitude, latitude, and height coordinates to find and place objects. The spots are often in rugged country, down ravines, or on high precipices. Allen's "Bloody Scratch Drawings" are watercolors based on injuries incurred during the quests. Also on view are works in two and three dimension by Stacy Berlfein, Judith Cottrell, Nathan Heuer, Ian Ingram, Beili Liu, Rosemary Meza Des Plas, Alex Rubio, and Gael Stack.

You can make your own marks when you visit, too, in the Collaborative Continuous Drawing project. The 5-by-33-foot paper roll will unfold four feet at a time throughout the month. Pencils and charcoals provided. Free; Opening reception 5:30-7:30pm Thu, March 1, Southwest School of Art, Russell Hill Rogers Gallery, 1201 Navarro, (210) 224-1848, swschool.org. On view to April 29.

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