These are the astonishing masterpieces created by a high school teacher during his 25-minute lunch break - and then simply wiped away. Gregory Euclide began making his ephemeral artworks to show pupils at his school in the Minnesota River Valley what could be achieved in just a short space of time. But the students were so affected when he casually erased the beautiful creations that Mr Euclide decided to release a series of the temporary ink designs. The art teacher says his unusual habit of drawing on whiteboards started as a way to release stress.
'In our culture, there is a strong emphasis on reproduction and the original seems less important,' said Mr Euclide. 'My students were shocked when I would erase the original, because they saw it firsthand, and they were disturbed that it was destroyed. 'People who do not see the original have no problem only looking at it on a screen or as a print, but once you see the original it is hard to let it go or believe that it could be destroyed.'
The teacher links this concept of accepting impermanence to society’s impact on the natural world.
Drip effect: The melancholy images show wintry forests and emotional, shadowy landscapes - which look as though they took far longer than half an hour to make the melancholy images show wintry forests and emotional, shadowy landscapes which look as though they took far longer than half an hour to make 'When people get to know nature and spend time in it, they start to realise how their actions affect it,' he said. The teacher said his unusual habit of drawing on whiteboards started as a way to release stress. Laid Down & Wiped Away - a special edition of ten portfolios chronicling Mr Euclide’s experiments on his classroom whiteboard. Each portfolio contains eight pigment prints measuring 16 x 20 inches, printed on archival Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper, mounted on museum board and numbered and signed by the artist.
Cause and effect: The artist associates his viewers' shock at the pictures being erased with the experience of recognising the impact our actions have on nature
Mr Euclides's atmospheric drawings have even been used on the cover of an album by rock group Bon Iver. White museum gloves and a certificate of authenticity are included with each portfolio, as well as an original ink drawing. Six of the eight images documenting the results of the creative experiment will also be available for purchase individually. 'I was thinking about the fact that I could make something impermanent and then sell the image of it,' said Mr Euclide. His artwork was also featured on the Grammy Award winning album cover of rock group Bon Iver's eponymous album.
Article by EMMA REYNOLDS
Source: Daily Mail UK
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