September 11-17, 2003

cover story

Small Wonders

He built this city: Sellers works on one of his cityscapes. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Intricate, imaginary cities fill the miniature world of Randall Sellers.

by Debra Auspitz

Randall Sellers is a creator of cities. Tiny, delicate cities that can fit in the palm of your hand. For the past year or so, the 34-year-old artist has devoted most of his work to these cityscapes, which he draws in painstaking detail with .3 mm mechanical pencils, filed down to a "hypodermic point," as he puts it. "I donít use a magnifier," he says, though some galleries that exhibit his work provide such tools for viewers. "Maybe I should. I drink plenty of carrot juice," he jokes.

Sellers is not drawing real places, though he has had a lifelong interest in reading about cities. But in the end, these cities don't come from books or even Sellers' travels -- they come from his imagination. "I just sit down and draw what interests me, like we did when we were kids," he says. "I'm fascinated by ruins and sci-fi and cities as organisms and unsolved mysteries, so I draw that stuff."

Sellers will have his first local solo show next month at his alma mater, Temple's Tyler School of Art in Elkins Park (he received his B.F.A. in painting in 1995).

He first showed here at South Street's Bean Café and his work was spotted by local gallery owner Shelley Spector, who included Sellers in a few group shows. When she saw Sellers' work, Spector says, "I was immediately drawn inside of them for their quiet beauty. His skill and integrity are rare."

Watch and learn: Sellers at South Street's Bean Café, where he often goes to draw, and people-watch. Photo By Michael T. Regan

Richard Heller, a gallery owner in Santa Monica, discovered Sellers' work through Spector's gallery and began showing it in his. Sellers currently has a waiting list for his work of nearly 20 collectors in L.A. His solo show at Tyler will be followed by a solo exhibition in Heller's gallery in January '04 and a group exhibition in Japan next August. This Sept. 19, Sellers and several other local artists are auctioning off work at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to raise money for a scholarship fund in memory of Peter K. Ortale, a Penn Charter grad who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks.

Despite an artistic process where "the idea is not to think," one can find many layers of meaning in these small drawings, into which Sellers often incorporates both historic and futuristic elements. "The cityscapes do soak up meaning," he says, noting that he prefers to allow viewers to come up with their own interpretations of his work. Asked for a quick summation of his own, Sellers quips, "Piranesi meets Teletubbies."

One real-life event that shapes Sellers' imaginary cities was the year he spent in Rome while he was in college. "We used to sneak into the Roman Forum at night and skulk around the ruins with flashlights and wine and cheese, discovering subterranean rooms that were closed to tourists and covered in dust," he recalls. "I guess my drawings honor the intrigue of those adventures."

Another influence on Sellers' drawings is Federico Fellini. "I discovered his films as a freshman in college," Sellers recalls. "He tried as hard as anyone to show that one's dreams and imagination are rich material for art, that the interior world is a lively one and deserves play. I don't understand why so many young artists are afraid to reach inside. They insist on borrowing images from old magazines and yearbooks and image files and just sort of tracing them, like Warhol did, you know, 40 years ago. I say live a little, pack up the projectors and use your imagination."

The other city that has been a steady influence for Sellers is Philadelphia. Sellers moved here in 1988 from his childhood home in Reading. But even as a kid he loved this city. "My favorite time was a sixth grade field trip to the PMA," he recalls. An early love for art? Not quite. "They happened to be filming [a] scene for Rocky III out front. So we persuaded our teacher to let us hang around for a glimpse of Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T."

Today, Sellers still does a lot of his work at Bean Café. "The light is great," he says. "The problem is I end up with coffee and crumbs on the paper. People ask how I plot out the cityscapes, do I go from left to right, that kind of thing, and the truth is I draw the cities in the direction of where the schmutz is on the paper, to cover it up!

"But," he says, "in spite of the perils and distractions, I like working at the Bean. I'm a people-watcher." Again, Sellers can't resist going back to his favorite subject, cities. "Three hundred years ago, South Street was the southern boundary of the city, so that's where all the taverns and playhouses and brothels were. It still retains that character. That's what's great about cities: They're older and slower and wiser than us. They represent a huge collective collaboration. They produce culture. Cities depend on us and we on them. I think cities are alive. I relate to them as big friends, like manatees," he laughs. "It's very humbling."

Sellers has done close to 40 cityscapes, each taking anywhere from two days to two weeks to complete and is now ready to try something else for a while. "I'm looking forward to using color next year, can't wait." But, he says, "I don't see myself getting disinterested in cities."

Sellers' Tyler show will not only feature cityscapes. In fact, it will mostly consist of Sellers' portraits, also small pencil drawings, often images of Sellers' friends and other local artists and musicians. "I don't use photographs," he says. "You can always tell when a portrait is done from a photo. And there's something about just using your eyes and hands to record everything you see and know and feel about a friend. It's old school, I know. But it's good to slow down and do that, maybe just because we still can. So my friends sit and watch movies, or read, or listen to music, or often we just talk while I draw. I drew Dimitri Coats of Burning Brides while he fast-forwarded through Dario Argento splatter films to make a compilation tape of just the gory scenes."

Randall Sellers, "Drawings," Oct. 21-Nov. 15, Tyler Gallery, 7725 Penrose Ave., Elkins Park, 215-782-2776. Peter K. Ortale Scholarship Benefit, Fri., Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St., 215-844-3460, ext. 110.