Behind the Seen: Saturated Ink Drawings

This work represents a continuation of several years' intensive examination of traditional drawing materials and the issues surrounding the vocabulary and relevance of drawing as a complete, independent expression.

This series of drawings was made by saturating white paper with black Sumi ink on one side, and then flipping it over to reveal the image on the other. The ink is applied with large brushes, using a method of brushwork that does not allow reworking. With this method the actual "front" of the drawing is not the side that has been completely covered with the black ink, but the reverse side, where the ink has only partially soaked in or bled through, reflecting the logic of the brush without ever being touched by it. By going into the paper, behind and underneath the surface, the drawing gains a unique kind of physicality--seeking out what lies beyond the surface appearances that we so often mistake for the whole picture.

Click here or on image to view more
Related work: view the Eclipse Series

above: Thesis, 72.5"h x 48"w, Sumi Ink on Kozo paper [sold]