Spencer Dormitzer
Ponder… er ING, I AM THE ASTEROID
March 1 – March 31, 2019
In September of 2017, I embarked on a year-long series of drawings titled: PONDER… er ING or, I
AM THE ASTEROID.
Each piece contains several layers of frenetic, haphazard marks, methodically drawn over extended
drawing sessions. The first layer (or conversation) starts with a lighter hue or shade, with progressive
layers of marks moving darker down the spectrum. From a distance, the orbs seem to float upon the
surface of the paper, some centrally, while others are slightly askew. As the viewer gets closer to the
work, the sphere becomes frenzied and confused as meticulous marks create a sculptural or fibrous
aesthetic.
Conceptually, I think of this body of work as a meditation of difficult conversations about significant,
yet simple ideas. The difficult conversations are depicted in the layering of the ink marks, while the
idea is represented by the sphere. When I started this series, I was struggling to articulate myself
to others. Finding the correct words for basic conversation was becoming increasingly difficult due
to stress and social anxiety. These works and the process of making them have been a welcome obsession, as each drawing session unlocks a myriad of emotional responses—Zen, boredom, self-
doubt, courage, comfort, and impatience, much like the emotional responses to significant ideas.
As I move into the last stages of making this particular body of work, (each piece takes weeks,
sometimes months to complete) I have discovered a powerful understanding of mindfulness and its
connection to my art making process, something I may have repressed in earlier work. The co-titles
play on this process and concept—I ponder, therefore I am a PONDERER of PONDERINGS, while I
AM THE ASTEROID dwells on the loneliness and stargazed thought process of making these
pieces.
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Spencer Dormitzer attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1986 and has been a working
artist for over 30 years. Dormitzer previously worked as a Studio Manager for New York Abstractionist David Reed and as an Executive Producer for the New York Cosmos. He has had work in over 75 group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, including the greater Washington, DC area; Chicago, IL; Antwerp, Belgium; Santa Fe, NM; Philadelphia, PA; and New York City, NY. Dormitzer is the former Director of Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery in Washington, DC, and is currently the Director of Brentwood Arts exchange in Brentwood MD. He has managed, curated, and juried over thirty exhibitions throughout the DC metro region.
