An amateur astronomer and self–proclaimed nature lover, Crotty continuously makes meticulous drawings of stars, comets, asteroids, and planets as viewed from the telescope in his homemade observatory in Malibu, California. This ledger consists of five ink drawings of the night sky: as seen from the ground, through a telescope, as a map of constellations, and as a density study. Simultaneously reminiscent of nineteenth–century scientific illustrations and the repetitive patterns of Minimalist art, each page spread shows a different aspect of Crotty's drawing practice, which ranges from austere celestial maps to more mystical evening landscapes.
Gallery label from Glossolalia: Languages of Drawing, March 26–July 7, 2008.
