Leslie Roberts: DIRECTIONS

Signed and numbered edition of 169 by Leslie Roberts

2 color screenprint on French 100lb cover, 2019

The handwritten list in this print is a collection of directions to various places, which, taken together, lead absolutely nowhere. Excerpts include “Take the L train to Graham Ave . . .Take the Union Pacific toward Kenosha . . . Follow the trail of breadcrumbs . . . retrace your path back to the starting point.” I diagrammed the letters into gridded structures according to self-determined rules. As I developed the original image in paint, ink, and graphite, the geometric network started to resemble arrows pointing every which way.

I tend to use a lot of saturated pigments, but I wanted to try printing with liquid graphite. When I walked into the Kayrock shop to sign the edition, I was overwhelmed by the shop’s profusion of electric color; the chromophiliac in me wondered why on earth I’d made a monochrome edition. Then I saw the finished prints, and loved their areas of silvery mineral gray. 

Leslie Roberts collects everyday language and encodes it into geometric structures, working primarily in paint and mixed media on slate-like panels. A recent solo exhibition, FYEO, was held at Minus Space in Brooklyn. She has also shown work at the Brooklyn Museum, Davidson Gallery, David & Schweitzer Contemporary, McKenzie Fine Art, Pierogi Gallery, PPOW, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and other spaces in New York and throughout the US. Her work has been discussed in print and online in Artforum, the Brooklyn Rail, the James Kalm Report, Two Coats of Paint, and other publications. Roberts has been awarded residencies at Ragdale, Yaddo, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Skowhegan. She holds an MFA from Queens College CUNY and a BA from Yale. She teaches at Pratt Institute and lives in Brooklyn. 

Made in Brooklyn, NY. Standard 18"x24" size for easy and affordable framing. Unframed prints ship in 1-2 business days. Framed prints are fulfilled by Simply Framed and current lead time is approxiately one month. Frames are glazed with 99% UV blocking plexi and have a shadowbox spacer.