Faces No. 154 and 243 (with a note on the Series and how it got started)

By Jack Brummet

Faces No. 154 - 2007

I began drawing the "Faces Series" about 12 years ago after discovering hundreds of surplus muslin squares ("Part No. 6530-719-0040 - wrapper, sterilization, unbleached, Type II, Size 3, 24 inches square") at Archie McPhee's in Seattle.  The wrappers are two pieces of muslin, hemmed and cross-stitched, manufactured by a "sheltered workshop" in the south--Mississippi Industries For The Blind.

I have drawn approximately 275 pieces in the Faces series. The series includes mainly imaginary characters, along with drawings of people I see in meetings and other venues.  The series occasionally includes celebrities or other public figures, as well as frequent appearances by three-eyed and one-eyed figures.

The Faces are drawn on the 24" x 24" wrappers using fine Sharpies, pen and India ink, and, at times, pencil or charcoal.  The canvases have deeply embedded creases from being stored, folded into a six inch square and stored in a warehouse for many years.  This led to the 16 square format used in almost all the drawings.  Most of the drawings contain sixteen faces, but around a dozen or so include six faces per square (or 96 per canvas).  I am nearing the end of the series, with less than a dozen wrappers (barring finding a new mother lode) left.

Faces No. 243 - 2010

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