 | |
| Tower Power 2023 9” x 12” Ink on Paper |
Drawing has always been at the center of my daily practice. It’s such a direct experience: paper, pencil, erasers. If a photo tells a thousand stories, a drawing tells a million. In this hyper information and digital age, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The act of drawing is a way to process all of this. The viewer perhaps has a moment to reflect, to breathe.
Inside the work of art each characters has their own life story. It’s like looking at a a single frame from a graphic novel, but the viewer is left to fill in the rest of the story - the before and after. In this sense narrative painting can be empowering, liberating, or challenge our perceptions and assumptions. It’s up to the viewer to complete the work.
My favorite are mystery narrative artworks. The audience becomes the detective, challenged to unlock symbols, methodology, techniques and art historical references. When does a drawing become an illustration, a poster, a comic book strip doesn’t necessarily matter to me. All can be done well, some a quick gotcha - others a book. When a narrative work hits that universal truth, its meaning can adapt and change with the times. Other works perhaps document a significant moment or series of events. Over time the most honest of those works sometimes find their way in and out of popular culture. Whose voices are amplified, when and why, become part of the mystery itself. Enjoy!
Boat Ride
2023
18” x 24”
Graphite on Paper
Run
2023
16” x 20”
Graphite on Paper
No comments:
Post a Comment