The Lower Forty-Eight
A continuation of the previous year's set of sketchbook drawings, these finely detailed pen drawings document my reactions and distractions in a post-2016 America. Organic forms such as leaves, vines, and muscle tissue blend with the topographical lines of maps and nautical charts. Within these dense furrows of directional information, I have hidden an array of minuscule imagery. These icons form a new mapmaker's lexicon that is sometimes political critique and sometimes poetic nonsense. Three-dimensional block letters, themselves reminiscent of benign children's blocks or refrigerator magnets, spell out cryptic yet serious content. The series was started while on residency at the Vermont Studio Center in February 2017.
