what's in a circle?

examining the use of figurative elements. in this case, one in particular.

in 2008 i went to antarctica for the first time. on the journey there i met a life long friend, a friend that i would end up losing this year. we nearly shared a birthday, each of ours being one day different and two years apart. our life long friendship ended up lasting less than 20 years.

brain wave[s]. // wavey circle, filled circle, stippled circle.

the week before i lost this friend i minted brain wave[s]. a piece i’d sketched more than a year prior and one i’d been tinkering with in procreate for over a year. i had no clue when minting this piece, let alone when giving it a title, that this friend’s brain cancer had returned. no idea that in a week’s time she’d pass away. when i look back at the process of this piece, there’s no doubt i was sensing something while making it. it’s uncanny. eerie even.

at this point you’re probably wondering why i’m making you so f*cking sad, apologies. after all it’s not my intention to over index on traumatic events, rather shed some light on a connection to a piece that has left me contemplating and then contemplating some more. so let’s rewind a bit. circles? antarctica? brain cancer? what’s the through line here?

well…art.

moar circles for your consideration.

circles are a reoccurring theme in my art. one that i quite literally can’t shake. when i draw them they come in all textures, styles and sizes. they are often the most figurative element in my work, compositions that are created through abstraction of feeling and observation. i intentionally avoid creating anything too representative in my artworks, or at least i thought i did, because there’s that circle. nearly, always. it’s hanging out here. filling the composition there. i just can’t seem to shake it.

“in everyday use, the term “circle” may be used interchangeably to refer to either the boundary of the figure, or to the whole figure including its interior” — Wikipedia

whether i want to admit it or not, the circle is a repetitive, figurative element. a cheeky bugger often shoving its way in- and onto my canvas saying, “i’m here! dance with me or gtfo.” after hundreds of artworks i’ve learned to not resist its presence. instead i welcome it, observing what it’s there to tell me, listening for the story or lesson or idea it’s working to convey.

what i’ve come to find is that the circle is often a being. a person of my world, our world, come to roost in my visual psyche. often it’s someone i know or knew. someone who’s passed on and is lingering as a presence in my current day to day. someone who’s sitting right next to me or even at times, multiple people converging as one orb. when i draw a curve or code a chord it’s a way to connect their collective dots and, if they’ve moved on, celebrate them in a small way.

in the case of the three circles present in brain wave[s], for me, they are a past / present / future representation of my friend and our times together. as an artist, the ultimate beauty is that perhaps for you these figurative elements will be someone, something or somewhere else. whatever your abstraction is, i can only hope it brings you as much peace as the evolution and outcome of this artwork has for me.

how missing you feels. // three circles for three strong women in my life.

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thanks for reading and / or listening this week. have questions or comments? drop them below.

see you wednesday!

⚫️✨

p.s. here’s the initial sketch process that went on to become brain wave[s].