Turtle and Bunny discuss values, 2020
Graphite and coloured pencil on Mylar and Strathmore paper
101.6 x 101.6 cm (40 x 40”)
In this work I explore mark making as a metaphor for inner values: those beliefs to which we hold true regardless of circumstances or challenges we face. I adapted “values exercises” that are traditionally part of a drawing practice. I rendered the bookshelf in 6H and each of the books in a different graphite, from left to right, ranging from 5H to 9B. The piece explores a narrative that the viewer can make “sense” of when s/he allows for analysis without excluding the sphere of imagination: the two stuffed animals discuss morals in the foreground, with shadows casting their beliefs as if into the space of the viewer. Their conversation is contextualized before – in the presence of – their “values” which rendered in the background, manifest as concrete form, expressed through graphite marks.