Drawing No. 40/#100drawingsaboutclimbing"Saline"

A few weeks ago I took a solo trip to the coast. What I found was a reconnection to things that are saline — the sea, fluids, minerality. In watching the repetition of waves on the shore, I saw the sea play marbles with the sand. A wave comes in, and the pebbles that remain are moved to subtly different places. Hints of how our realities are ever so slightly different with each breath.

I had initially posted this painting on my personal account in soft pastel colors. Someone told me that in black and white, it looked so dark, maybe even depressing. But as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the balance of light and dark. How do you know what began as dark and became light, or if it started out as light and became dark? And whether something is full or empty, is just the total presence of one end of the spectrum. So I post it in its india ink and white gouache state here.

If you follow my personal account, and feel a need to unfollow one of my accounts because of the double art postings, I would not be opposed to it. In the early stages, I thought doing a 100-drawing project only about climbing would be an interesting way to test my creative boundaries and make a division between the types of work that I do. I am now understanding that the art I want to create is not necessarily about the activity itself, so maybe it shouldn't be confined in that way. I am also making an effort to start creating more unity in my life by condensing the different practices, so I no longer feel the need to divide my "climbing-art" from my "other-art"

Wordy, so wordy. Thank you for reading. 💗