Holy Oak & Other Drawings

1. Holy Oak                                       

2. Nude Man With Raised Foot       

3. The Beat                                       

4. Paraphernalia                                

5. Preparing For Penetration                                  

1. Holy Oak, reminds me of the period in which this piece was drawn. I dedicated all of my creative energy, into the single subject of trees. And I realize when it is only one particular subject, I focus on exclusively, I take more time and effort to create a very detailed drawing. There were no other ideas to think about. And when there were, it mattered less, because I was only going to commit my creative abilities to trees. I loved the simplicity, of such an approach. But, I did not feel whole as an artist. I felt like I was depriving myself of expressing ideas that allowed me to be honest with who I truly am as an individual.

2. Nude Man With Raised Foot, is another drawing, with my micron pens. I like to draw figures this way, like the trees, where the subject is secluded, and solely emphasized, without distractions. If I were to draw this again, the space from top to bottom, would be increased, because I really wanted to include all of his hair in the composition. This drawing was created around the time, when I purchased a scanner, for my work. I was unsure of the amount of space, regarding paper size, would be included in the actual scanned image. I did not want any of the drawing to be excluded, so a border was drawn along the edges of the Bristol board. This allowed me to determine the maximum size of my drawing.

3. My favorite drummers are the legendary jazz musicians Elvin Jones, Art Blakey and Tony Williams. This drawing, in which I now entitled " The Beat " is dedicated to them, and to the rich history of the drum. I remember the students who used to make Hip Hop beats with their hands, on the desk tops in school, growing up. Bass has been very important in black music, meaning the intensity of vibration, coming from the beat. It can be from an electronic device, or a real drum, played by human hands, beating upon stretched skin. The origin of the drum, in Africa, beats through the culture of black people, and the relevance of rhythm, and its influence on song and dance, has been valued and celebrated for centuries.

4. I remember working on Paraphernalia, in my car during my lunch and fifteen minute breaks, at work. I would be nervous a coworker or passerby, would come to my car with a question, or to say something. I usually kept a pad or piece of paper to cover my erotic pieces, when someone was approaching my vehicle. I was very private and cautious, even after coming out to most of my coworkers. And to think, that now, I post these drawings online for anybody to view. I like the head of this man, and his cornrows.

5. Preparing For Penetration, was definitely one of those rough sketches, that I converted into a final drawing. I would draw the men bigger, if another one were created. I like the way their legs are entangled. This was a gamble, with the pen, knowing I could not erase my attempt, if it failed. If I am unable to salvage a piece with pen and ink, it is either accepted as is, or put away. I then would have to start over. I do not believe in throwing away a drawing, if it began with good intentions. There is always something I could learn from it, at some point.