Scenes of the Artist’s Life formed one body of work, another was this collection of detailed graphite work. Drawing in this highly labor intensive way felt like a religious act. It made something mine through sacrifice. Sometimes, I drew from a photo, sometimes from what I saw in the mirror. Often the subject was my anxiety about what it meant to be masculine, white, even American.

At the same time, I would also create drawings without a reference. With these, I would pick a starting point on the page, or draw a circle, and just commit to bringing that decision to life with the same laborious graphite drawing technique. This work captures my interest in shading and blending.

The last work in this series was a faithful recording of the play of light on the blinds and CD cases lining my basement window in San Francisco. It was the last of this laborious work. It cured me of this torture… perhaps that credit goes to San Francisco.