John Ivesmail's Essay

Notes on Taxonomy

During the course of my endeavours it grew apparent that some form of taxonomy and classification would be essential to disentangle and redefine the immense web of personal reference that Naomi drew upon. Thus several levels of classification were established, each of which separated Naomi's output into clearly defined types that would enable temporal contrast and comparison.

These types are:

  1. School Sketchbooks (SSB) - the nine books that were provided by St. Johns School for the student to work in;
  2. Extraneous Drawings (ED) - the ninety-seven drawings completed in extension to the school work Naomi had been set;
  3. The Private Sketchbook (PS) - a document in which the artist recorded the final three months prior to the family's disappearance.

Throughout the duration of this essay these terms will be used in reference to Naomi's work.