Walking Around:

Mixture of printmaking and drawing. These drawings are first created while walking from place to place and on public transportation. The experience of walking around Philadelphia is my primary source in these works. A piece of paper is treated as if it were my sketchbook. Over time they become recordings of my daily experience in Philadelphia. In addition to drawing perceptually from architecture, I reference old maps, collected historical prints of Philadelphia from The Free Library, and my own photographs taken of Philadelphia.

After I read the essay Theory of the Derive by Guy Debord. I began to practice my own form of derive. In this essay he describes a situationist practice of rapid passage through varied ambiences. Practicing a derive is to experience a walk through a part of the city and to become aware of its psycho-geographical effects. Guy Debord created conceptual maps of Paris between 1960-1969. They were a recording of his experience on a derive. I thought this was interesting, and decided to create my own maps based on my experience of walking.

These are maps, cityscapes, and aerial views. The maps are intuitive maps, rather than practical maps. They do not show you how to reach your destination. Rather, they are confusing, dense, and busy. I bring my drawings back into my studio and expand on what has been started outside. I draw and work on them for a period of a week to a month. My works on paper grow with time. I use lithography plates, silkscreen, wood block, and monotype for additional imagery. I use an etching press to add collage pieces and transparent layers.

Traditional printmaking adds to the flattening and to the density of each piece. I enjoy the possibility of reproducing images from one piece to the next. As if you are seeing the same billboard day after day, but in each piece you see it in a whole new way. I see Philadelphia by foot, bike, or on the bus. I do believe that it is possible to experience the same route taken on a daily basis differently each time.