Four Rectangles, Smoke Drawing Series, 1973

Candle smoke, airbrush, ink and graphite on paper. 20 × 30”

Published April 2024 on Instagram https://tinyurl.com/2vmetjuj

The Smoke Drawings
In 1972, Krebs received a Guggenheim Foundation grant. He realized that his numerous ideas for artworks exceeded his immediate ability to fabricate them; the grant afforded him the time to create graphic works describing the designs for future sculptures. At the same time, Krebs sought to create drawings expressing the atmospheric and ephemeral qualities of his light works. Pushing beyond the traditional means of rendering, Krebs mastered a process for controlling and capturing smoke as a means of drawing.
Hemphill Artworks, Washington, DC, Rockne Krebs: The Smoke Drawings, 2016

Perhaps the most unusual works of paper from this period are the smoke drawings, works in which cloud-like areas of light and shade created with candle smoke are frequently combined with color penciled and airbrush images. Jay Belloli, Director, The Baxter Art Gallery, CalTech, Rockne Krebs: A Retrospective of Drawings, 1965-1982