Adam Q&A

Adam Shaw, untitled - paintings on wood panel, 2015

Describe your appetite.

Breakfast:

Graphite lead, 0.5 mm, on a lightly handled sheet of A4, cellulose, china clay and calcium carbonate – standard grade, from the tray. That’s if I’ve slept well. After a restless night I might hanker for something well-worn. Maybe a 6B – extra starch, extra rosin. I won’t fuss over dog-ears, blotches or the like. Leftovers are no hitch either. I’m of the belief that a thoughtless scrawling needs an evening to marinate.

Lunch:

Typically, this comes down to convenience. These days I’m getting on with something a bit finer than I’m used to. A Brother DCP I believe, an office grade appliance, but admittedly I can’t recall the digits to follow. It’s no sweat really; I’ll make do with whatever is at hand. The mornings remains get tossed on the flatbed, 20 seconds planked will suffice. From here on things get more finicky. Clear of the dawn’s fog, I’ll get into the garnish. First step: a threshold breading, somewhere between 128-150. With a closer look I’ll sift pixels and drizzle language where need be.

Dinner:

Hopefully by now all the fat’s rendered and the image is ready. The oven is across the water so I’ll give myself a half hour for the journey. Often the kitchen is bustling so I sit on the sidelines and wait my round. If time allows I'll perform last minute scores and skims. The knobs will need some fiddling also. I’m partial to a birch or pine for the crust, medium-soft – three to four mm, something suited for a quick broil. Last week - glazed velum. This week - charcoal, smoked.