My Epiphany

For the most part I work very extemporaneously.  I leave the conception of a piece to the subconscious in the form of a brief period of meditation followed by a very automatic process of rendering, I allow myself to find an image.  The images take many forms - they may be figurative, portraits, or abstract mind-scapes.  This process grew out of a peculiar circumstance.

I retired from my job just over two years ago.  Approximately a year prior to that I decided I would like to find a way to create art while at work.  So, I bought a drawing pad and put together a small drawing kit.  It all had to be fairly portable.  On breaks and during lunch I would find a quiet place to sit and doodle.  At first it was somewhat frustrating - trying to come up with imagined subject matter.  One day I had the notion to abandon the idea of a concrete mindful subject and just let the drawing happen.  This was an epiphany - an awakening for me.  I had read about psychic automatism (free association) as practiced by the surrealists and abstract expressionists, but had never imagined how I might incorporate it into my own artwork.  Now, since retiring, I have also incorporated this method into my studio painting.  However, I still like the spontaneity of the drawing process.

These are examples of my drawings from about 3 years ago:

Haunted Room

paint markers on bristol, 9"X12"

Nonchalant

pen & ink on paper, 9"X12"

We're All In This Together

pen & ink on paper, 9"X12"

In two of these drawings you will find figurative elements within the abstracted forms.  The titles are my own narrative impression of the pieces.

More soon.