Drawing has been many things for me throughout my life. As a kid I used my drawing skills as an attempt to standout, and to impress girls on the bus and in the classroom, by the way despite what the movie Titanic would have you believe, this does not really work unless you have the looks of DiCaprio. As I aged drawing became a method of therapy, a way to work through personal feelings and issues. In large part this is still what drawing is for me today, however, with maturity and confidence (just a little more) it has become a voice. Obviously if you’re viewing this on my website you will have noticed that I’m willing to share this work, and to some degree the feelings that helped to create them.
Art as therapy, to me, can be a dangerous thing for many reasons. In design we are taught to not take our work too personally, because the work is for someone else and is many times directed by someone else. This benefits the designer by allowing them to see feedback not as a personal attack but as valuable criticism. I believe this should be the case for all artists as well, but it can be difficult when so much of your own emotions and personal story has been imbued in the work. Art as therapy can also hinder a working artist by drying up their wellspring. If their art is dependent on mood, then they can have difficulty creating art if they are not in that mood.
I tend to see my work as not only a form of therapy but also a form of storytelling. This is why on many occasions you will see or hear me refer to my studio pieces as “illustrations” and not as “drawings.” This method and mindset has allowed for me to continue to create work that isn’t mood dependent by enabling me to look back on events and to illustrate past emotions rather than only current ones.
My newest piece below titled “Through the Eyes of a Nice Guy” is meant to, in both title and subject, force the viewer to see the piece as a point of view. A viewpoint which through the subject matter isn’t meant to be clear, nor cheerful, or positive. Despite having completed it during COVID, the piece has nothing to do with the pandemic and was started over a year ago. There will be more posts coming for student work, personal projects, and my thoughts on teaching during this troubling time in later weeks.
This piece is a part of new series of work so thus a portfolio redesign is in the work. I am not going to do a complete site redesign, just an update and new methods for showing the work.
“Through the Eyes of Nice Guy” 15×5 Graphite on Paper
Click image to view in Lightbox.
