Genesis

Felt-tip pen and ink on paper, 48”x69”, 2024.

What happens if you relinquish subjective expectations and work with whatever presents itself in your drawing? For this particular work, it became an almost automatic drawing, where I covered a large paper with thin lines. It took more than 6 months to finish.

On a blank paper, I draw a vertical short first line on the left edge at the top. Then I draw a second line next to hit, overlapping it by a tiny bit. The overlap produces a thinner darker line. The free-hand vertical lines invariably take arbitrary albeit minute turns during the process. And I would copy those variations when I draw the next lines. The ink of a pen eventually dries out, upon which I would change to a new pen. I repeat this until I cover the entire surface.

This work is part of my Wu Wei Drawing 無為畫 series.