MG: Honestly, do you ever just get sick and tired of ellipses? And
after working on this project continuously for two years, what will it be like
not to work on it when you wake up on September 6th?
MT: Yes,
I do. Sometimes, when I sit down to make a drawing, I think of it as merely
another task I have to accomplish that day, a chore, but almost always, while
I’m drawing, my attitude toward the work shifts, and I find myself enjoying the
process, and hoping that I’ll like the drawing when it’s finished. Early on in
the project I had days when I was so impatient—this was in the 200,000s—that I
made some really bad drawings. I didn’t experience that attitude shift, from
negative to positive, and just wanted, that day’s work to be
done.
It was a turning point when I got past that feeling of
impatience. I guess it’s like a runner “hitting the wall.” The thing was, at
that point I really began to understand how much I had bitten off. I had been
drawing many months, and countless hours, and was barely a fifth of the way
through. But once I reconciled myself to the enormity of the task, I really
enjoyed the routine. After I’ve drawn that last ellipse, I know that part of me
will really miss the routine, the comfort and quiet of drawing (and counting) so
regularly. But a big part of my studio practice will be opened up, and that’s
something I’m happily anticipating.
