Q&A with Joe Bradley

How often do you draw, and what role does it play within your artistic practice?

I draw on most days, even if only for a minute or two. Whereas painting can be an ordeal, drawing is more or less fun. I draw at studio, but also at home or on the train or wherever. I like how uncomplicated drawing is. Anyone can draw, plus paper and pencil are cheap. 

What can drawings express that painting, text, or sculpture cannot?

Drawing is very intimate. There is a vulnerability to drawing that tends to get lost in the more involved production that goes into making a painting or sculpture. 

How do you think about the physical aspect of drawing within our mostly digital culture?

Rudolf Steiner’s model of a balanced approach to educating children is one that incorporates “head, heart and hands” (intellect, feeling and action.)  Drawing engages all three. Digital culture prioritizes (or manipulates) intellect and emotion while the body dies on the vine.

Asger Jorn wrote that, “every line drawn freely  is a protest against control.” What forms of  control are you resisting when you draw?

Drawing (painting, sculpting, dancing etc.) lifts one out of the passive role of consumer. This in itself is a powerful act of resistance. At least it’s a start. The right drawing could drive a stake through the dark heart of empire, and baring the whole thing crashing down. 

How has your approach to drawing changed  over time, and how do you keep a childlike  sense of discovery in your work today?

Drawing comes naturally to children. It seems a way for the young person to locate themselves as the world comes rushing in, and to make sense of this flood of information. Drawing keeps this investigation open, maintaining a connection to childhood and its well of beginner’s luck. 

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Joe Bradley is currently a part of Gardeners, a group exhibition with Asger Jorn, Robert Nava, Misaki Kawai, Joe Bradley, Eddie Martinez and Tal R
Eighteen | January 23 – March 7, 2026 

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