Over a period of several months, I create drawings that are the starting point for the constructed prints series. Natural light is best for revealing the depth of the drawing as it changes over time. I think of the image as a portal into memory, transient and evolving, dissipating at the edge of consciousness.
I layer graphite with soft lead pencils to create rich darks. The lacy outer perimeter of the drawing is created with tiny, pointillistic marks. This process is very meditative; one allows intuition to take over as conscious control falls away. The drawing seems finished when it evokes a sense of space that feels as if it can be entered. The drawings are then transformed into prints.
For each print, I design a floating field of flowers that evokes imagery from Korean decorative arts. The gradual process of drawing is contrasted with a kinetic pattern that’s all about motion and chance. The iconography of Korean art conveys folk beliefs in plants and animals that offer protection from harm, and express desires for longevity, fertility, and harmony. Seen against an illusionistic image of great depth, the floral patterns create a drawing with light and shadow, half-real and half-imagined.
This series endeavors to ask questions. Can you call forth an encounter with an essential part of yourself that’s known only through dreams? To look within and wonder, what can be known, and how can it be known?