Water Works

a series of narrative illustrations inspired by the stranger-than-fiction realities of the past several years, when personal, communal, and global concerns collided spectacularly to turn my life and expectations upside-down and cause me to reconsider a lot of things previously taken for granted

1.) Adrift

2.) Here Comes the Breaking

3.) Remember the Sound of Your Name

4.) Far From Any Hope of Harbour

5.) To End Up Here With You

6.) Welcome to the Precipice

7.) Rising Molten

8.) When You Know That Goodbye is Inevitable

    As someone who has difficulty letting my pencil stop moving on the page once I pick it up, I first developed the habit of illustrating my notes during classes, then turned to incorporating notes and poetry into my illustrations, which gradually spilled over into how I journal and write letters as well. At the time I never conceived of them as anything anyone else would be interested in, but putting my thoughts on a page grants them a clarity they don’t achieve inside my own head, and helps me make more intentional decisions about who I am and what I want to do with the time and energy that I have.

    Since then, I have learned that part of the magic of making art is letting people recognise their own story in the pieces I create. I am amazed by the way events and emotions that are intensely personal can turn out to be so profoundly universal, and I am thrilled to share this new series of narrative illustrations that are an integral part of my process for navigating deep waters and troubled times.

    Paper boats were the first piece of origami my grandfather taught me to fold as a very young child, back at the very beginning of both my love-affair with paper and my development as an artist. These humble vessels hold a very personal symbolism for me because of this connection - they speak to me of the things we inherit and those we carry, the process of seeking balance between our individual journeys and the communities that support and receive us, the shared values and relationships that connect us. While it is not the first time paper boats have appeared in my work, a variety of them are featured throughout this series, with masts made of cedar sprigs and pennants bearing aphorisms from small auguries I’ve collected over the years.

    These pieces are part poetry & imagination, part love letter, and part personal record of the times I am living in, but the journey itself is your own. Though the waters may grow rough and the destination is unknowable, signs of hope abound: I look to the cleansing and renewing cycles of the natural world, the green and growing things that persist even in the midst of darkness and decay, the power of shared knowledge and close community. From fox bones and piles of books to cherry blossoms and acorns, ornate keys and paper cranes, this series represents not only my fears and struggles of the past three years and more, but also my passions, my aspirations, and my inexhaustible optimism for the journey still ahead.