Comfort Zone

One day, on 2nd Ave, while I was kneeling on the ground, creating a drawing, someone pushed into me. Annoyed, I gave the man a dirty look as he hurried down the street. I tried to reposition the paper onto the surface again and again. As I struggled with the problem, I noticed that the lines began to connect and overlap with each other. Drawings emerged from the pavement like a moving stream of scratches and textures. A rush of adrenalin took over as I filled several sheets of paper in an attempt to connect the dots of my misguided images. Later in my studio, while examining my interesting new rubbings, I realized that there are no accidents in life. Obviously I needed someone to push me out of my comfort zone.

Street dreaming

I look up and see slices of sky between the tall buildings of glass and cement. It is warmer than yesterday, and I did not have my coffee yet. There are no alarms, or engine noises at this moment, which is strange. A bus passes me by and I wait for another. I don’t know whether to go uptown or downtown today. I am too familiar with the city's places. Thinking always leads to dreaming, and dreaming, and dreaming. Awaken by the sounds of hissing and bumping, my bus takes me through a jungle where time is mine to kill.

The state of becoming

All energy evolves. There is no us, there is no it, just the dance of molecules. So when I touch an object I’m adding my energy to the history of the universe. I don’t believe anything really belongs to us. We are all connected to everything. My art is inspired by this concept. Drawings are always becoming. They have a life of their own. A sketch is just a journey of evolution that changes minute by minute. It is the story of my energy engaged. A story defined in line and time. Art embodies this spirit. When I am creating I am part of the earth and the stars and I’m suspended in state of becoming.

Between the spaces

All life is pure energy. Harvesting it is impossible. But I try. I like the feeling I get from touching objects because they have an indwelling spirit that connects me to the morality and mortality of the universe. I find tranquilly and joy between the places and subjects I encounter. They in turn reveal themselves in unusual and mysterious ways. What draws me in is the ever changing possibilities the emerge without warning. What I'm saying is that I don't control my work it controls me. The joy of being in the moment is reward itself. Creating is being myself. And that is when it happens--- In that tiny space of a moment a form, a line, a texture becomes art.

The spirit moves me

There are days when you feel that the world is out of control and you've lost all sense of reality. Today was one of those days. The sky was pale gray with no particular weather eminent. I look at the cracks on the pavement my head down. I didn't know what street I was on or what the time of day. I search for inspiration and there was none. I turned the corner and took out my pad and crayon. I wanted to go home and forget today. I rubbed mindlessly and let the spirit move me.

The Rubbing Diaries

There is magic under my feet, a wealth of visual excitement commanding my attention. On the street and in doorways, people cover my subjects. I wait anxiously. Soon it will be my turn to touch and stroke the premises. Boldly I rub the cracks and crevices of street remnants. They tell me a story as I take position of their reference. My eyes are clicking. I search for amusement and folly. I search for meaning. People scramble and miss all the juice. I savor every impression as they are revealed to me. This is the talk of the streets. And I am the only one listening.

What is a rubbing ?

The word 'Frottage' is derived from the french verb frotter, meaning to rub. The term is most often used to discribe the process of rubbing on paper over a textured surface so that the underlying pattern comes through. Frottage is perfect for depicting the rough textures of rock, stone, wood and metal. In addition, it provides a quick, spontaneous way of creating surface interest in drawings and paintings. With frottage, the patterns created are absolutely unpredictable and that is what I love about rubbing.