Signs of Life
This body of work deals with our relationship to the natural world. These mixed media drawings are rendered on plastic drafting film. Because this material is translucent, one can work on both sides and continue in layers on separate sheets underneath. This method produces a result, that veiled and intricate complexity of what we see in nature. As a realist painter, I have been struck by how much is hidden from our view. I attempt to penetrate the surfaces of things and to use my “inner eye” in tandem with my limited outer eyes.
Beginning with objective and analytical rendering, which may recall medical or natural history illustration, the images eventually hint at the mystery behind the veneer of appearances. I am challenged by the problem of simply rendering and understanding the physical world, but strive to meet the metaphysical in the process. Decay and regeneration, abundance and depletion, body and spirit are themes running through these drawings—as is the erotic insistence of the life force.