Almost Thirty

(This is the artist statement I wrote for a show I am having in the Closet Gallery at Cornish College of the Arts on Tues. Nov. 22nd)

I remember thinking that I’d never be thirty. Not because I thought I’d die young, but because thirty seemed so old and so far away. It still seems old, but it is definitely not far away. Almost Thirty is a series of prints of me at age twenty-nine, looking in the mirror and recording what I see.

All of the images in this series are observations from life, engraved directly into copper or plexi-glass and then printed. Most of the pieces have blind contour engravings integrated into the images. Using the blind contour technique keeps me honest. I draw what I see and am not tainted by the desire to create a beautiful drawing. It also helps me capture things that I would normally overlook.

For as long as I can remember, I have been an avid people watcher. I always notice a person’s gestures and the way their body moves. When I draw someone, I try to show something specific and unique about them. My ultimate goal is not only to portray who I am looking at, but also how I see the person in front of me.

This series of prints is an attempt at documenting how I see myself in my twenty-ninth year.

November 1st

sneak peek: setting up the show

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