On an vast, pristine field of untouched white paper, a violent eruption of jagged graphite forms detonates toward the lower right—like primordial matter fracturing in slow-motion fury. At the heart of the chaos, a dense, swirling storm of overlapping hatched lines and cross-hatched shading builds into near-opaque black-gray masses: irregular polygons splinter, shards stab outward, angular fragments collide and overlap in frenetic entanglement, creating textured depth through relentless pressure and layering.
From this overloaded core, the energy radiates asymmetrically: thicker, heavier clusters propel sharply downward and rightward in explosive bursts, while thinner, more delicate tendrils trail behind—fading into lighter grays, then faint wisps that dissolve into the white void like echoes of impact. Isolated angular shards drift separately at the top left and bottom left, emphasizing dispersal and isolation amid the main surge. No symmetry or containing frame exists; the surrounding white expanse acts as infinite negative space, amplifying the sense of violent expansion, suspension, and cosmic emptiness.
The composition relies entirely on graphite's tonal range: deepest velvety blacks in the densest overlaps suggest crushing weight and intensity, mid-grays build implied volume and texture through hatching, and the lightest feathered traces convey fragility and escape. Sharp, splintered edges cut against the softness of trailing wisps, generating rhythmic tension—buildup versus release, entanglement versus fragmentation. The eye is pulled inexorably into the turbulent core, then flung outward along radiating paths that seem to continue beyond the paper's edge.
Notice how the dominant lower-right thrust creates relentless directional momentum, countered only by the sparse, floating remnants that linger in the upper and left regions—evoking the aftermath of a single, chance-driven cataclysm frozen mid-flight. The stark monochromatic palette heightens raw urgency: no color distracts from the interplay of density, direction, and dissolution.
Part of the "Tychist Objects" series, this drawing channels tychism—Charles Sanders Peirce’s philosophy that genuine, objective chance is a fundamental creative force in the universe. Algorithmic procedures using random numbers guided key decisions in form, placement, density, and character, yet every mark was executed by the artist's hand, fusing mechanical indeterminacy with human gesture. The result is a visual emblem of explosive emergence from nothingness: chaotic beauty born of true randomness, shattered order suspended in void.
In its intense, suspended violence, the piece invites sustained contemplation—how does this jagged burst of graphite against emptiness resonate with your own sense of disruption, chance-born creation, or the fragile line between coherence and collapse?
Technical notes.
Unique drawing. Graphite on paper. Unframed dimensions: 16-7/8” high x 22” wide. Signed by the artist on the back, dated 2019. Frame not included.
On an vast, pristine field of untouched white paper, a violent eruption of jagged graphite forms detonates toward the lower right—like primordial matter fracturing in slow-motion fury. At the heart of the chaos, a dense, swirling storm of overlapping hatched lines and cross-hatched shading builds into near-opaque black-gray masses: irregular polygons splinter, shards stab outward, angular fragments collide and overlap in frenetic entanglement, creating textured depth through relentless pressure and layering.
From this overloaded core, the energy radiates asymmetrically: thicker, heavier clusters propel sharply downward and rightward in explosive bursts, while thinner, more delicate tendrils trail behind—fading into lighter grays, then faint wisps that dissolve into the white void like echoes of impact. Isolated angular shards drift separately at the top left and bottom left, emphasizing dispersal and isolation amid the main surge. No symmetry or containing frame exists; the surrounding white expanse acts as infinite negative space, amplifying the sense of violent expansion, suspension, and cosmic emptiness.
The composition relies entirely on graphite's tonal range: deepest velvety blacks in the densest overlaps suggest crushing weight and intensity, mid-grays build implied volume and texture through hatching, and the lightest feathered traces convey fragility and escape. Sharp, splintered edges cut against the softness of trailing wisps, generating rhythmic tension—buildup versus release, entanglement versus fragmentation. The eye is pulled inexorably into the turbulent core, then flung outward along radiating paths that seem to continue beyond the paper's edge.
Notice how the dominant lower-right thrust creates relentless directional momentum, countered only by the sparse, floating remnants that linger in the upper and left regions—evoking the aftermath of a single, chance-driven cataclysm frozen mid-flight. The stark monochromatic palette heightens raw urgency: no color distracts from the interplay of density, direction, and dissolution.
Part of the "Tychist Objects" series, this drawing channels tychism—Charles Sanders Peirce’s philosophy that genuine, objective chance is a fundamental creative force in the universe. Algorithmic procedures using random numbers guided key decisions in form, placement, density, and character, yet every mark was executed by the artist's hand, fusing mechanical indeterminacy with human gesture. The result is a visual emblem of explosive emergence from nothingness: chaotic beauty born of true randomness, shattered order suspended in void.
In its intense, suspended violence, the piece invites sustained contemplation—how does this jagged burst of graphite against emptiness resonate with your own sense of disruption, chance-born creation, or the fragile line between coherence and collapse?
Technical notes.
Unique drawing. Graphite on paper. Unframed dimensions: 16-7/8” high x 22” wide. Signed by the artist on the back, dated 2019. Frame not included.
