Selected Drawings

Drips of coffee freely weave through empty landscapes like rivers without heads. It is a meditative experience to draw in the morning while sipping my first cup. The stains slowly transform into an unforeseen web of interconnectedness. This intuitive play of indeterminacy and improvisation initiated the start of this drawing project.

I began this mixed-media drawing project in 2006, experimenting with unconventional materials like coffee, pencils, and breath-blowing. As of 2020, I further developed the concept, added color ink and moved away from coffee as my primary material. Winter tree branches shed light on my creativity, as do Chinese Splash Ink Paintings and artists like John Cage, William Anastasi, Cy Twombly, and experimental/ improvisational music. The lines in my drawings are fluid, imperfect and unpredictable, traversing the realm of in-betweenness, indeterminacy and consciousness through marks of improvisation. My conscious self gives way to inner knowing and feelings. The slow journey provides incredible foresight that transcends preconceived notions and logic. My drawings are deeply rooted in the complexity of human experiences and emotions. Each piece results from chance and improvisation, forming an interconnected web of elements reliant on reflections and perception to reach completion. Media are related. My other ongoing project on this website, Moving Drawing, connects the medium of drawing with video and sound in new contexts. The sizes of my drawings range from 8"x8" to 30"x22". I am currently working on 30"x22" sized drawings.

NCB #1, Aug 5, 2024, 30"x22", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #31, July 3, 2024, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #32, July 4, 2024, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #33, July 8, 2024, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #30, January 19, 2024, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #29, January 12, 2024, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #28, January 10, 2024, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #27, November 29, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #26, November 20, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #25, October 26, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #24, October 13, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #23, August 30, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #22, August 29, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #21, August 17, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #18, August 14, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

2023 8"x8" Drawing #S1, Music by Steve Roden "VIEW" album

Track 4 "Untitled", Duration: 16:28

Had some fun with these two synesthetic drawings –

the first time listening, the same duration.

2023 8"x8" Drawing #S2, Music by Steve Roden "VIEW" album

Track 1 "Untitled", Duration: 16:04

NC8x8 Drawing #17, February 25, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #16, February 15, 2023, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #14, March 28, 2022, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #13, March 11, 2022, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #12, March 1, 2022, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 Drawing #11, Feb 2, 2022, 8"x8", pencil and color ink

NC8x8 drawing #5, #6, and #7 and the Moving Drawing #1 video below, are together an interdisciplinary project. It involves two stages and a video recording. The drawing movements in the video were handheld cellphone recordings while listening to Hilary Hahn's 1997 J.S. Bach's Chaconne for solo violin performance. The 2nd part of the project was to divide that drawing into three 8 "x 8" pieces and finish them as the #5, #6, and #7 NC8x8 drawings, as seen separately. The form of each drawing dances between randomness and consciousness, heightened by marks of improvisation. The creative process mirrors the unpredictable nature of our daily life upon the reliance on interdependent elements and trusts to arrive at a work's completion.

Moving Drawing #1 was created for J.S. Bach's Chaconne for Solo Violin for the 2021 CreArt Web Music Festival.
https://vimeo.com/607672772