On warm off-white paper, a dense, restless orb of graphite lines erupts at the center—like a living storm or primordial nucleus captured mid-breath. Thousands of fast, multidirectional strokes—sweeping arcs, tight frantic coils, sharp angles, gentle curves—overlap in chaotic frenzy, filling a roughly square field with no clear beginning or end.
At the heart, a strong ovoid core pulses with near-opaque dark gray, the densest accumulation of overlapping marks creating textured depth and implied volume. From this shadowed nucleus, lines radiate outward in every direction: boldest loops swing wide before curling back, while thinner trails loosen and fray at the soft, irregular edges—dissolving into delicate wisps that give the form a breathing, expansive quality without ever escaping containment.
The overall shape is an organic, slightly asymmetrical cloud-like orb—contained yet restless, as though something alive strains to expand but pulls itself inward. Loose, energetic hatching builds rich texture: darker pockets where lines crash together contrast lighter passages, making the gray feel almost electric against the pale ground.
Vast negative space around the orb amplifies isolation and quiet intensity, turning the small sheet into a microcosmic universe of flux.
Notice how the dense central core draws the eye irresistibly inward to maximum energy, then gently propels it outward along radiating and curling trails—creating rhythmic tension between gravitational pull and expansive release, chaos and subtle order.
Part of the Tychist Objects series, this unique drawing embraces tychism—Charles Sanders Peirce’s philosophy that genuine, objective chance is a fundamental creative force. Algorithmic random-number processes guided key decisions in mark placement and character, yet every stroke emerged from the artist's hand, fusing mechanical indeterminacy with human obsession. The result: a visual emblem of emergence from true randomness—restless beauty that feels both wildly alive and mysteriously contained.
In its hypnotic density, the work invites prolonged looking—how does this breathing graphite orb against silent paper stir your sense of contained energy, inner turbulence, or the quiet poetry of chance caught mid-expansion?
Technical notes.
Unique drawing, graphite on paper. Unframed dimensions: 10.25” high x 10-13/16” wide. Signed by the artist on the back, dated 2015. Frame not included.
On warm off-white paper, a dense, restless orb of graphite lines erupts at the center—like a living storm or primordial nucleus captured mid-breath. Thousands of fast, multidirectional strokes—sweeping arcs, tight frantic coils, sharp angles, gentle curves—overlap in chaotic frenzy, filling a roughly square field with no clear beginning or end.
At the heart, a strong ovoid core pulses with near-opaque dark gray, the densest accumulation of overlapping marks creating textured depth and implied volume. From this shadowed nucleus, lines radiate outward in every direction: boldest loops swing wide before curling back, while thinner trails loosen and fray at the soft, irregular edges—dissolving into delicate wisps that give the form a breathing, expansive quality without ever escaping containment.
The overall shape is an organic, slightly asymmetrical cloud-like orb—contained yet restless, as though something alive strains to expand but pulls itself inward. Loose, energetic hatching builds rich texture: darker pockets where lines crash together contrast lighter passages, making the gray feel almost electric against the pale ground.
Vast negative space around the orb amplifies isolation and quiet intensity, turning the small sheet into a microcosmic universe of flux.
Notice how the dense central core draws the eye irresistibly inward to maximum energy, then gently propels it outward along radiating and curling trails—creating rhythmic tension between gravitational pull and expansive release, chaos and subtle order.
Part of the Tychist Objects series, this unique drawing embraces tychism—Charles Sanders Peirce’s philosophy that genuine, objective chance is a fundamental creative force. Algorithmic random-number processes guided key decisions in mark placement and character, yet every stroke emerged from the artist's hand, fusing mechanical indeterminacy with human obsession. The result: a visual emblem of emergence from true randomness—restless beauty that feels both wildly alive and mysteriously contained.
In its hypnotic density, the work invites prolonged looking—how does this breathing graphite orb against silent paper stir your sense of contained energy, inner turbulence, or the quiet poetry of chance caught mid-expansion?
Technical notes.
Unique drawing, graphite on paper. Unframed dimensions: 10.25” high x 10-13/16” wide. Signed by the artist on the back, dated 2015. Frame not included.
