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MEDITATIONS (2010-11)Artist Statement
In these drawings, I mix ceramic slip with fabric dye and dispense it from a syringe or bag onto paper. Immediately the water in the slip begins absorbing into the paper. I trace the outline of this wet shape several times as it expands outward from the clay. The water transports the ink, smearing it. The clay mixture shrinks as it evaporates, pushing and pulling the paper. After drying completely, the clay flakes off, leaving behind an embossment.
Those are the mechanics of the process. For me, these drawings represent more than that. They are a record of my curiosity in the endless possible combinations; of a conversation I am having with the clay, liquid, paper and pigment. I act, they react, I react. Back and forth until the call and response has exhausted itself. While water makes this dialogue possible, it is nowhere in the final piece.
Most importantly, these drawings are meditations. With no preconceived outcome, I simply trust and respond openly to their elemental insistences. They are my way of being present, of noticing, of marveling at the small mysteries of mud and water.
