Works by Melvin Way are commonly referred to as hermetic, mainly because the artist has always excelled in keeping his followers at a distance by evading consistent descriptions of his production. What is the meaning of the cryptic imagery of algebraic equations, chemical formulas, and diagrams that cover the surfaces of his drawings? Maybe it is a distant evocation of his early passion for science and music; before his commitment to visual arts, he was a bassist in local bands. Way once cautioned that no one should experiment with the formulas contained in his pieces, which are usually small-scale, because they are dangerous weapons—too powerful. These indecipherable and elaborate schematics defy a linear comprehension. They are generated by randomness in the coded elements and undetermined sources. The saturated compositions display multidimensional architectural renderings, crosscuts of machines, mathematical environments, and electromagnetic fields. One revelatory aspect of Way’s process is that he carries these drawings inside his pockets, close to his body, for months before giving them up. During that phase, he enhances them regularly: the pieces of paper are folded, unfolded, extended. The drawings’ portable nature explains why the ink marks are diffused and faded (with a blotting paper effect), the pieces of paper are softened and wrinkled by constant friction against his clothes, the colors are modified from his sweat, and their smell is permeated by his body odor. The opacity of this oeuvre is symbolically reinforced by Way’s use of tape, often medical Diaphon tape, which seals the surface of the drawing and shelters the work from destruction. Like a second skin, these works function for Way as protective devices.

Valérie Rousseau, “Melvin Way,” in Valérie Rousseau (ed.) Fever Within: The Art of Ronald Lockett / Once Something Has Lived It Can Never Really Die, exhibition brochure (New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2016).

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