This frottage was made by rubbing paper with a blue crayon over a random crack in the sidewalk on 57th Street in New York City on a chilly winter night. Once home with a cup of cocoa and a box of colored pencils, I looked carefully at the marks made on the thin paper searching for any patterns that could be brought to life with some additional color and line.
Slowly a scene emerged from the simple patterns of blue Crayola. It contained a long communal table with a diverse gathering of loopy-looking characters and a fair amount of wine. It suggests a bar scene with one participant raising his glass to the heavens, maybe, to borrow a phrase from Prince, partying like it’s 2099. It’s reminiscent of the cantina scene in Star Wars but there’s also a feeling of The Last Supper, with the larger figure on the left pointing to a central figure who is looking away. Interesting how a crack in the sidewalk could grow into something that could simultaneously remind one of daVinci, Prince or Star Wars depending on who is looking at it.
Frottage Open To Interpretation by Ellen Chadwick, 14″x11″, 2020, in collection of the artist.