a history of errors Drawing

I mind to be human and all I do is just simple (and complicated) searching of life. Teaching myself and others how to live. To live otherwise. To live better. -Milan Knizak I spent an early part of my career enveloped in creating allegorical narratives about ‘searching.’ These pieces became invented mythologies that were developed as a coping mechanism for hardship, abuse, and struggles with identity. In retrospect, the work was layered in a facade that avoided the harsh side of being human. Facing the reality of why I made work, I have focused on stripping down the facade and simplifying the questions I am asking and how I approach them. I have distilled what I do into two questions: Who am I? and How do I define that existence? My work looks to analyze the Self and define its function of Being. This analyzation is defined by action and the Self is usually represented in the act of making a vessel (or circle). I don’t ever identify as an artist who is defined by the medium they use but rather someone who creates around the concept they are exploring. So the end result includes simples tasks such as drawing a perfect circle, bundling clothing, or splitting a tree. Depending on the piece, the viewer is left to view the archive of that contemplative action or witness the process of contemplation. Undoubtedly, the viewer will notice the imperfection of the archive and the beauty imperfection creates (and thus a recognition of having flaws contributes to the dialogue of Who am I?) The use of the circle becomes a reflection of the wholeness one looks to achieve during analysis of the Self. This involves self-reflection, the acceptance of errors, facades and props we build as coping mechanisms, indecision, and the accumulation of experiences. The work, typically involving a reflective surface, invites the viewer to contemplate their identity and their follies Important to the work is the relationship of scale. In much of the work, the scale is dictated by the relationship the body has to the piece. Arm span, viewer height, and location of reflective surfaces all relate to the presence of the body. In some cases, the performance of creating the mark on the page or within a space is as much the work as is the place it is archived. As my studio practice has evolved, materials have been an important attribute of the work and expands the process of one’s awareness of Being.