DRAWINGS/PAINTINGS
Cabinet of Curiosities
E Pluribus Unum
People have always loved to collect objects, but cabinets of curiosities, also known as wonder rooms (the word “cabinet” originally referred to a room, not a piece of furniture) grew popular during the Renaissance, as interest in exploration, science, and chronicling increased. Cabinets of curiosities were designed to intrigue viewers by spotlighting beautiful and unusual specimens, often sparking conversation and marvel.
Drawings in my Cabinet of Curiosities series offer carefully constructed glimpses of people, objects, or design elements, packaged into small gridded shapes for ease of viewing. The contents of each shape appear to be governed by chance, but once chanced upon by the viewer, they become very important indeed. The randomness of the detail framed by the grid offers a feeling of private discovery.
Drawings in my Cabinet of Curiosities series offer carefully constructed glimpses of people, objects, or design elements, packaged into small gridded shapes for ease of viewing. The contents of each shape appear to be governed by chance, but once chanced upon by the viewer, they become very important indeed. The randomness of the detail framed by the grid offers a feeling of private discovery.
Chance Encounters with La Fornarina, Graphite, 12 inches x 12 inches
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Argus, Detail, Graphite, 12 inches x 12 inches
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Sidewalks Series
Buenos Aires Sidewalks Four, 6 inches x 6 inches
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Buenos Aires Sidewalk Seven, 6 inches x 6 inches
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Maybe it’s because I grew up in New York City, where trash abounds and pedestrians have to be careful where they place their feet, but I have always looked closely at sidewalks. Cracks and chips in the pavement create interesting patterns and metal poles from meters or signs that have been removed (there are so many of these in cities, towns and parks!) often leave mangled vestiges both shiny and rusty. In Buenos Aires, many of the sidewalks are covered in tiles. There is an endless variety of styles, all enhanced–to my eye at least–by cracks and irregularities. The Sidewalks Series celebrates the beauty of the broken and the random.
Buenos Aires Sidewalks Eight, 6 inches x 6 inches
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Buenos Aires Sidewalks Nine, 6 inches x 6 inches
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