Drawing & Driving

Recumbent Bicycle, paper, colored pencils, time, movement

Various Locations, Colorado
Steven J. Yazzie, 2023-24

Drawing and Driving (2006–present) is an ongoing series of drawings and videos created at various sites across the United States. The project documents the American landscape through the act of drawing while navigating a moving vehicle. It began during a residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2006, where I built my first gravity-powered drawing vehicle and started capturing the scenery in motion while coasting downhill. By introducing momentum into the drawing process, the work engages with the tradition of plein air art while incorporating elements of time, speed, and unpredictability.

At MCA Denver, I presented recent drawings and video footage from three performances in Colorado—Pike National Forest, the South Platte River, and locations throughout Denver. Drawing and Driving is a visceral experience; the drawing vehicle becomes an extension of the mark-making, as if the machine itself is asserting its will through every crank and swerve. It mirrors the pace of life—how we move through vast landscapes, trying to grasp what’s slipping past. Within my practice, Drawing and Driving uniquely captures this fleeting intersection of motion, environment, and perception.