The drawings and installations that collectively comprises ‘Connections’ are very much process oriented. It reflects observations of the network pattern repeated in nature—networks that move energy or information in boughs, mycelium, blood, brains, and even the filaments of the larger structures of the universe itself. The corporeal aspects are brought to the fore by the use of red cord in the 2018 installation.

Each drawing is created with multiple drawings layered on top of each other, some as many as nine layers deep. Each time I add a drawing on top of the previous ones, I use a different technique for creating the marks and/or am guided by a different emphasis as I choose where and how to make the marks. Each time that I create a drawing that will be covered by another layer, I work on it until it feels resolved. Therefore, each time I start to add a new layer I ruin the one below it, causing it to become out of balance and trusting that the next layer will also become resolved.

Throughout the process I maintain a state of acute curiosity. I am constantly looking, noticing, and responding.

I am often attracted to rather simple things, particularly in the natural world. In this instance, I was initially drawn to the edges of trees and thickets with their varying densities and relationship to each other, including the spaces in between. When I started this drawing series, I was also aware of the similarities between these images and neural networks, mycelial networks, circulatory systems and models of the universe and the World Wide Web. I avoided looking at these other images until I had completed the fifth drawing in order to ensure that I had found my ‘voice’ with the work before letting in more influences.

As I continue to work through these ‘Connections’ pieces, I am able to observe which elements shift in importance and respond to those shifts.

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