Dawn Clements' Expanded Drawing Practice Transformed Domestic Space and Hollywood Film into Monumental Panoramas

Dawn Clements, who passed away at the age of 60 on December 4, 2018, after a two-year struggle with cancer, established a distinctive drawing technique that transformed both her environment and Hollywood film sets into vast landscapes. This approach, known as "expanded drawing," featured large sumi ink pieces and detailed watercolor still lifes. By continuously adding paper, she created expansive works, including one that extended thirty-seven feet during her residency at Middlebury College. Drawing inspiration from television, she reconstructed studio interiors from low-resolution images. Notable pieces include Travels with Myra Hudson (2004) in the Saatchi Collection and Mrs. Jessica Drummond's ('My Reputation,' 1946) (2010). Her last creations showcased floral still lifes alongside packaging for cancer medications.