When I began this piece in February, I was feeling lost and disenchanted with my word-based artwork. I woke up with “The Wasteland” from Children of Eden stuck in my head, repeatedly singing out loud the line “lost in the wilderness” as I poured my morning coffee and went about my day.

The song remained stuck in my head, until I sat down in my living room and scribbled “Let’s Get Lost In The Wilderness” on a piece of paper. I began to surround the words with trees, leaves, mountains, rivers, flowers, and a variety of critters. I eventually added arrows pointing haphazardly in different directions to amplify the feeling of being lost.

Stylistically, this piece was a callback to my older ballpoint pen work, where I covered recycled materials with intricate patterns and images. It’s also no coincidence that this piece (and others like it) were completed after viewing Keith Haring’s “Untitled” at the Museum of Modern Art. The experience left me feeling both inspired and insignificant. I was frustrated that I might not ever create anything that beautiful and full of joy. At the same time, I was motivated to push harder and aim higher.

“Let’s Get Lost In The Wilderness” was my first attempt in doing this. Due to my lack of focus and the absence of a looming deadline, this 11 x 14 piece took over a month to complete. It technically only covers 9.5 x 12.5 inches of the surface. This is an amount of space that I’ve previously been able to cover within 3-7 days, and I’m trying to be kind to myself about my fluctuating motivation—especially in the midst of a global pandemic. It wasn’t exactly easy to work on a piece about going outside when I couldn’t go outside.

As far as materials go, this piece was completed on vellum paper with 005 Sakura Micron Pigma pens. Most of the pens had been used for previous pieces, so the tips were worn down and unpredictable. I tried to embrace the different line quality as much as possible, letting it guide how I formed shapes and images within this sprawling black-and-white landscape.

Once completed and framed, this piece was displayed in Confluence Gallery’s exhibition "Treespeak” from July 25 - August 29.

Is this piece available?

“Let’s Get Lost In The Wilderness” is available as a limited edition print in my online shop.

The original is currently on display at Flying Lion Brewery.

“Let’s Get Wild” is part of a series that I created for an upcoming show. Each piece began with a short phrase written on paper in a somewhat random formation. Then, I dug into the comically large pile of used Sakura Micron Pigma 005 pens on my desk, and I proceeded to surround the words with natural imagery.

I wasn’t overly concerned with precision. I actually like that the used pens bleed more onto the paper, giving this series a bold look that’s reminiscent of woodblock or linoleum prints. The drawings are intentionally playful, primitive, and childish, creating a scattered wonderland for the viewer to explore.

As I’ve continued this process, there has become a common “language” for certain things—trees, leaves, branches, water, wind, clouds, and various creatures of the wilderness. Despite this, each piece has been an individual journey, like hiking on the same trail and noticing something new each time.

Eventually, I needed to add some borders to keep all of this sprawling nature contained. I had a few loose mats sitting around the studio, so I tested out different sizes and decided on 5 x 7 inches for the final piece. After penciling in the borders, there was an internal debate about whether to fill the entire space. I opted to do so, and I am pleased with the final results.

From there, I erased the pencil lines, scanned the piece, and edited the digital version for prints. All around, this piece took several days to finish, but I will confess that I succumbed to many distractions along the way.

Once completed and framed, this piece was displayed in Confluence Gallery’s exhibition "Treespeak” from July 25 - August 29.

Is this piece available?

“Let’s Get Wild” is available as a limited edition print in my online shop.

The original is currently on display at Flying Lion Brewing in Seattle.