My name is Tom Mazzullo, and my work in Art of the State 2022 is a silverpoint drawing called Two-part Invention No. 18.
This work is part of a series of drawings of a two-dimensional diagram and a threedimensional paper model, arranged together like a still-life and drawn in silverpoint. The flat diagram is drawn in perspective, giving it depth within the picture, and the model is reduced to two dimensions by virtue of drawing it on a flat piece of paper. The diagram and the model relate in some way, and the name "Two-part Invention" is a reference to the musical compositions of J. S. Bach, in which there are two distinct melodies that intermingle and harmonize with one another.
Silverpoint is an old-master drawing medium that uses silver wire to mark on painted paper. The paint is just abrasive enough that the soft silver leaves a mark on the surface, so the drawing is literally made out of silver metal. Silver doesn't erase well, and the mark is never darker than medium gray, but eventually the silver tarnishes to a golden-brown luster.