Thesis, 72.5"h x 48"w, Sumi Ink on Kozo paper, 2003 [courtesy of the James T. Dyke Collection]

Behind the Seen: Saturated Ink Drawings

These drawings were made by saturating white paper with black Sumi ink on one side, and then flipping the paper over to reveal the image. The ink is applied with large brushes, in a way that cannot be reworked. 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 drawings gain a unique kind of physicality—seeking out what lies beyond the surface appearances that we so often mistake for the whole picture.

Related: Eclipse Series