A postscript, a care instruction

    A few objects of interest can be found in Christian Dimick’s studio. There is the found-painting of a dragon-ouroboros, a pair of painter’s clogs, and a small ceramic terrier that keeps vigil over his practice. Beneath the large canvases that Christian is known for, drawings lie scattered, and small Moleskine books are gathered in piles. And, of course, there are “pictures” everywhere—a term preferred by Christian, and one that gently renounces distinction.

    When Christian chooses to draw, he uses a wide range of art utensils (from felt pens to charcoal) and often works on found paper. Drawing is felt differently from painting, as the artist explains; “paintings can go wrong—very wrong—but drawings can always be good.” Christian tends to share such insights with an almost imperceptible hopping motion and a small smile at the game he gets to play. Yet, there is a seriousness in how a person chooses to play, and Christian approaches his art with a disarming open-heartedness.

    The place where Christian’s pictures most often gather is within his Moleskines. The drawing books distil the feeling of creation into something that can be held, and it is these small stitch-bound moments that inspired this publication. While engaging in a conceptual tradition of facsimile and reproduction, Pictures also challenged the designer to respond spontaneously. Any decisions taken to the artist were met with the same joyful response: “I love it!”, and the maxim “first decision, best decision” was strictly adhered to. Christian is an artist who makes you want to make art, and Pictures promises nothing but more drawing. 

    As near as possible, the original dimensions and tactility of the drawings have been preserved within Pictures, as well as the pocket-sized practicality of the Moleskine. The object of Pictures appears to have been taken directly from the studio, lifted from the painter’s desk while the painter is still at work. It offers a glimpse into an emerging world, deliberately not sense-making, and open to all possibilities ahead.

- Emil Scheffmann