Petrophysics has been described as the science of imaginary solutions. But, it is also the foundation of a body of work on display at the Pfister Hotel by Milwaukee-based artist Christopher Wood, the hotel’s current artist in residence. The pieces in his daily drawing project combine water and graphite with artwork inspired by stories and experiences with guests at the Pfister.
As the artist in residence, Wood has a studio on the first floor of the hotel, and its walls are filled with works from the project. Wood encourages guests of the hotel to share a story with him or type a poem or a note on his typewriter as that inspires the art he creates.
“So I can fit three months of drawings on this long wall. And on the short wall, I'm going to be replacing the old stuff with highlights from the previous months as we move through the course of the year,” says Wood.
Wood explains that while each piece is individualistic to a moment or a person, the collection itself tells a larger story. Each drawing is connected to the others while still standing on its own.
“Sometimes it's just an abstraction of the feeling that was left after the person left the room. And then the next day, that feeling bleeds into the moon that I have been talking about with somebody,” says Wood.
Wood explains that on one wall, he can fill three months worth of drawings inspired by the stories of guests. On the other, he plans to replace old artwork from past residents and fill it with highlights of the previous months.
“I want people to be able to have a piece of [the art] and feel connected to everyone else who has it, these are everywhere else the project exists," says Wood. "So it's a way of connecting people who don't normally have any connection to one another.”
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