On warm off-white paper, a compact, high-energy orb of pure graphite chaos detonates at the center—like a tightly wound knot of nervous energy exploding outward in frozen fury. Thousands of short, jagged, angular strokes clash and overlap in relentless frenzy: sharp acute angles stab, lines veer suddenly, broken intersections pile into near-opaque black tangles at the core, creating textured density that feels almost violent.
From this overloaded heart, bursts radiate asymmetrically in every direction—spiky protrusions and irregular tendrils thrust toward the edges, thinning only slightly into lighter, feathered wisps before halting at an irregular, roughly oval boundary. No smooth curves or flowing rhythm exist; the entire form is built from stabbing, restless direction changes that generate anxious, electric tension. Very little white space survives inside the mass—the drawing is relentlessly busy, almost claustrophobic—yet the overall effect remains dynamic rather than suffocating, as if controlled chaos has been captured mid-burst.
The stark tonal range—deep velvety blacks to faint silvery grays against pale paper—amplifies raw urgency and isolation. The small scale intensifies intimacy: the viewer is pulled directly into the storm.
Notice how the densest central knot draws the eye inward to maximum pressure and entanglement, then flings it outward along jagged, spiky trails—creating relentless rhythmic tension between implosive accumulation and explosive release, confinement and escape.
Part of the Tychist Objects series, this unique drawing channels 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, direction, and density, yet every jagged stroke was executed by hand, merging mechanical indeterminacy with obsessive human energy. The result: a visual emblem of beauty born from true randomness—restless, anxious order emerging as if by miracle from pure chance.
In its compact, high-voltage intensity, the work invites close, sustained looking—how does this tangled graphite explosion against quiet paper stir your sense of contained frenzy, nervous vitality, or the quiet poetry of chaos held just at the brink of unraveling?
Technical notes.
Unique drawing. Graphite on paper. Unframed dimensions: 10-1/8” high x 9-5/8” wide. Signed by the artist on the back, dated 2015. Frame not included.
On warm off-white paper, a compact, high-energy orb of pure graphite chaos detonates at the center—like a tightly wound knot of nervous energy exploding outward in frozen fury. Thousands of short, jagged, angular strokes clash and overlap in relentless frenzy: sharp acute angles stab, lines veer suddenly, broken intersections pile into near-opaque black tangles at the core, creating textured density that feels almost violent.
From this overloaded heart, bursts radiate asymmetrically in every direction—spiky protrusions and irregular tendrils thrust toward the edges, thinning only slightly into lighter, feathered wisps before halting at an irregular, roughly oval boundary. No smooth curves or flowing rhythm exist; the entire form is built from stabbing, restless direction changes that generate anxious, electric tension. Very little white space survives inside the mass—the drawing is relentlessly busy, almost claustrophobic—yet the overall effect remains dynamic rather than suffocating, as if controlled chaos has been captured mid-burst.
The stark tonal range—deep velvety blacks to faint silvery grays against pale paper—amplifies raw urgency and isolation. The small scale intensifies intimacy: the viewer is pulled directly into the storm.
Notice how the densest central knot draws the eye inward to maximum pressure and entanglement, then flings it outward along jagged, spiky trails—creating relentless rhythmic tension between implosive accumulation and explosive release, confinement and escape.
Part of the Tychist Objects series, this unique drawing channels 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, direction, and density, yet every jagged stroke was executed by hand, merging mechanical indeterminacy with obsessive human energy. The result: a visual emblem of beauty born from true randomness—restless, anxious order emerging as if by miracle from pure chance.
In its compact, high-voltage intensity, the work invites close, sustained looking—how does this tangled graphite explosion against quiet paper stir your sense of contained frenzy, nervous vitality, or the quiet poetry of chaos held just at the brink of unraveling?
Technical notes.
Unique drawing. Graphite on paper. Unframed dimensions: 10-1/8” high x 9-5/8” wide. Signed by the artist on the back, dated 2015. Frame not included.
