To Hug a Friend
18” × 24” unframed, 28" x 36" framed
Technical pen and ink on hot press paper
Framed with museum glass, signed on the back.
Currently on view at Madron Gallery in Chicago
In 2023, I embarked on a forty hour journey of self doubt and discoveries. A clean outline in the shape of a giant egg, a few lines on pencil as a general direction for composition. And off it went. It’s pen and ink so theres no room for mistakes, because…there is no “mistake”. Whatever happened on the page, “good” or “bad”, is here to stay. The black lines and white negative spaces are engaging in a dialogue, leaving space for each other to exist. While drawing, I think about “the life” of the line. does it allow a path for other lines to begin and to end? Some people noticed that the lines don’t ever cross…no they don’t. They merge, complete each other, add to one another, into a lace-like pattern. Maybe they are too well-behaved.. but that’s how I like it. All moving together side by side, like a school of fish or a murmuration of starlings (thank you to my dear Margie Criner for the word).
In the drawing you can see a little bit of everything : Jupiter, floral patterns, quartz, cells, lotus roots (apologies to those affected with trypophobia), but also the concept of “crown shyness” in trees, Ebru marbled paper from Turkey, and oil and vinegar, mixing and separating.
The piece is called "To Hug a Friend", it's about what's happening in the brain during a true embrace, in a moment of grief, sorrow and hope. When you dont really know what to say, and whatever you will say won’t feel like enough. But the hug you give will complete the sentence.
To inquire about an original or request a catalog of available pieces, contact me here !
Birds from memory (April 2020)
Pen and Ink on found sketchbook paper, 10” x 13”
Set of 3 offset prints (limited edition)
Click here to see the full catalog
In the middle of the next century, birds have vanished. Perhaps they fled, got sick, or just stopped producing young. What did they look like? The visual record has been buried- photographs and drawings of the past are out of reach. However, there are legends, spread by word-of-mouth. Names and species are forgotten. What people remember is :
The curving forms of beaks, the delicacy of claws, shiny black eyes in the shadows of a nest - but most of all, the softness of some lost natural technology- like scales, but designed to defy gravity.
This concept was inspired by Albrecht Dürer’s famous 1515 drawing of an Indian rhinoceros, based on the accounts of Valentim Fernandes. Dürer never actually saw one of these animals; he could only make an image from the flawed and incomplete information at his disposal.
In making these drawings, I avoided looking at any reference images. The resource I tried to tap is memory- specifically, vivid moments of bird watching with my father.
The original drawings were shown at Galerie Bettina in Paris, France and Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA . A series of three prints by Fata Morgana Press are available on my online shop.
To inquire about an original or request a catalog of available pieces, contact me here !
In November of 2022, I was honored to participate in this collective exhibition (my favorite kind) at the Design Museum of Chicago, a celebration of Chicago’s landmarks that remain accessible for all throughout the years.
One of them is, of course, Lake Michigan. One of the biggest resources of freshwater with a fascinating geological origin story.
I chose to call my poster Precious, Boundless, in reference to the incredible amount of water that the Lake has to offer, but also how culture and knowledge grow exponentially when shared, free and open.
Also for all the gemstone nerds out there, yes! the shape containing the motif as well as the choice of color were inspired by a sapphire cushion cut.
The Design Museum team invited 35 artists to share their version of the lake, be it a perfect day on the lake shore, an Aurora in the ice or a deep water reverie.
All the beautiful posters were available for purchase for the duration of the show, and qualtiy of the print did not disappoint! By clicking on this link here you can explore the 35 designs created by talented artists like Sage Coffey, David Alvarado, Nick Adam and Unyimeabasi Udoh.
(caption in progress)
May 2023
Gallery Arnarson&Sehmer
Photos taken by Eymelt Sehmer, Óli Arnarson, and Mariagrazia Riccio
In May of 2023, I flew to Berlin to be part of a lovely group show curated by Gallery Arnarson and Sehmer .
A wall of drawings big and small, alongside with artists Nana and Erick Mittasch .
The show is part of a larger festival called Berlin Art Spring.
The theme for theyear was “Hell”. Pretty fitting, right?
But there was a twist : for non-germanophones like me, it also means “Light”. Needless to say, I wanted to make sure I packed as much as I could into a new series of drawings, talking about hope, gravity, fusion, and transformation.
In August 2022, I did not get a chance to escape my city, Chicago. As much as I love living there, I just missed the trees, the moss, the green. So I started drawing little houses, and the series evolved into “portraits” of houses, inspired by real places or vegetation, memories… Staring at the color green in the middle of a deadly, worldwide heatwave made me feel grateful. We get to remember the plants and the moss like we’ve seen them, smelled and touched them, not like it’s a distant memory from our ancestors.
Would you be interested in a custom portrait of your grandmother’s house? Fill out this form here by clicking this link. This would be an honor to do this for you.
Maintenance, February 2022 - Pen and Ink on Bristol paper, 11x14»
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An inspiration for this image is the French word “maintenant” meaning “now”.
Maintenance is the act of keeping things in the now. Maintenance can come from a place of care, but mostly likely it indicates a desire to exert control.
Maintaining a friendship, maintaining a building, maintaining pressure on a wound, maintaining the economy, maintaining global warming beneath 2° celsius, maintaining the status quo, maintaining a regime, maintaining friendly relations between nations (especially when one of them benefits from it.)
Maintenance is the act of keeping things as they are. It’s not about changing them for the better. With time, entropy and what my friends call the PFH, ‘Le Putain de Facteur Humain’ (Fucking Human Factor), things have a tendency to get worse, barely noticeable until they fall apart.
This picture is pretty straight forward. As long as we focus on keeping things to stay the same as “now”, we won’t allow the future to exist.
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This piece was a part of Typeforce 12 in March 2022, an annual celebration of contemporary typography in Chicago.
Collection of 9x12” drawings from 2022
In February 2022 I had the pleasure to create this fluffy dreamy neon cloud for Leechjul, a Washington DC based duo composed of singer/songwriter Cheongah Gray, accompanied by husband and multi-instrumentalist Phil Gray.
Cheongah sings in Korean and English, and the beautifully crafted layers of guitars, bass and synth are working together to create this atmosphere of summer daydreaming, and nostalgia.
Their videos is as sweet and refreshing as a popsicle.
Click here to watch the music video, buy their music and visit their website!
Improvised drawings on a walls made with posca markers.
Chicago, 2017-2018
Montreuil, November 2020
Vincennes, spring 2023
Feb 2023
11’’ x 14’’
Pen and ink on Arches paper
Shown in the group show Portals, at Mind’s Eye Gallery in Chicago.
This is of course largely referencing Rodin's Gate of Hell, apparently competing for the title of "first abstract sculpture". It has two different versions, and a fascinating backstory. As I am writing this, I realize that the Gate "of" Hell doesn't mean Gate "to" Hell. We might very well be escaping it.
This piece is not for sale. To inquire about an original or request a catalog of available pieces, contact me here !
“Best wishes” for 2020. Of course we all know how it turned out.
For this illustration the inspiration was drawn from bioluminescence, or the ability to produce light from within. Pretty handy in times of darkness and uncertainty.
