Slippery Geometry, Series F–I
fountain pen ink on paper, 22x30
2022

on view at Mars Landing Galleries, Mars Hill

While I’ve stated that I want each series of Slippery Geometry to have its own character, there also comes a point that you start to feel like you maybe pushed forward, rushing over territory that was rich for more exploration. So with this series I started by revisiting something of a hybrid of two early attempts from Series A, trusting that the combination and the ink itself would hold something unique and new to add. Mining deeper into ideas can be its own new territory.

Slippery Geometry, Series C–V
fountain pen ink on paper, 22x30
2022

on view at Mars Landing Galleries, Mars Hill

Slippery Geometry, as a whole, has a language—but each series has its own expression or dialect. Sometimes, often with the first of a new series, I am overtly trying to expand the vocabulary, or at least grasp how this new material fits into it. Other times, like here, I feel like the piece is trying expand the vocabulary and I’m just trying to understand how. I don’t always meet those demands but the effort is an interesting exercise unto itself.

Slippery Geometry, Series D–I
opalescent fountain pen ink on paper, 22x30
2021

For this series, I turned again to Birmingham Pen Co. I set out to work with this metallic-paynes-gray. I thought it would be interesting to have the higher contrast between paper and ink, but ironically where the ink was densest, the metallic elements gathered more making it reflective instead of black-ish. Given how quickly this color accumulates, I had to go for a more spacious, composition, but in that wanted to take the opportunity to let the ink really spread in pools of water.

Slippery Geometry, Series C–I
fountain pen ink on paper, 22x30
2021

SOLD

Thanks to an instragram ad (no shame), I discovered the lovely Birmingham Pen Co. They offer some truly finely crafted, water-soluble inks. Even if they are ‘intended’ for fountain pens, I’ve found them lovely to work with. I have been rather obsessed with this mossy green color they call, Arugula. In fact, I was so entranced with the hue I decided that Series C, using that ink would be distinguish itself with repeated patterns with virtually no negative space to speak of.