Layers of contained imagery. The first layer - a charcoal drawing. The second layer - lungs like branches that wrap and warp the trapped face beneath. The third layer - a digital mask - a blur filter that pushes the whole image into ambiguous trapping of projected meaning. A masked face (ex)disguising silence. At some point, the image above will blend into the charcoal below.

This past month has been a progression of slow-moving parts. The large charcoal drawing is wandering slowly and aimlessly (above) and the light drawing, as to be expected, is even slower.

I have managed a 2-hour single sitting light drawing session - which was both torturous and rewarding in equal parts. I feel like an athlete in training - only I am training to sit still, which is actually harder than any physical training that I have ever done. The mind games play out relentlessly from about the 30-minute point. I am curious now about this aspect of the practice and my mind. It is like I have just realised that my head and its constant chatter are actually separate to whatever it is that I perceive as self. It is like I am watching from the sideline as my mind chatters away, trying to convince my body that it needs to move. The breath anchors the mind for moments, and the chatter subsides only to slowly bubble back to the surface whenever the chance arises.

I have also been busy preparing for the residency at Joya: arte + ecología Cortijada Los Gázquez, Vélez Blanco, Andalusia, Spain. I leave in mid-September. In preparation, I have been scouring through old work, images, textured musings - anything really that could lead to projects and research potential while in this creative space. I will dedicate a new post to all the ideas the hunting process uncovers. In the meantime, I found this image taken in the reflection of a water bottle while in New York for the Transart winter residency 2016 (below). Something is sparking my curiosity in this idea of shadows, reflection, projection, ambiguously present human/self-portraits. At this stage, these ideas will form the foundation for the work I plan in Spain.

More on this soon…