These actual-size drawings of lint, dust, and hair engage an uncomfortable tension between instinct and intellect. Conflicted, the mind struggles to suppress the body's impulse to blow or brush away these illusory but truly irritating sheddings. The real, the represented, and the imagined intertwine, leading to contradictory experiences of seeing, feeling, and knowing.
Drawings of Dust (2000-2004)
Detail of Breath #17
2001
silver on gesso on paper
7 inches of 14 x 11 total
2001
silver on gesso on paper
7 inches of 14 x 11 total
The quiet, meditative space of the work cannot be conveyed in these magnified images. Most of the reproductions are details of the larger “dust clusters,” which are organized in various ways. They range from sparse, barely noticeable scatters to undulating, infinite accumulations.
Installation of Shelf Drawings
2002
wood, paint, graphite or silver on gesso on paper
Shelves vary from 12 to 36 inches wide, 3 to 4 inches high
2002
wood, paint, graphite or silver on gesso on paper
Shelves vary from 12 to 36 inches wide, 3 to 4 inches high
The shelf drawings are laid flat on precisely fitted shelves. This placement furthers the false impression that actual particles have accumulated on the paper. Viewers must engage with the work physically, bending over as if studying specimens or manuscripts.