Ink and Gouache

In recent years I have been inspired heavily by the work of Syd Mead. I'm in love with the powerful contrast between bright saturation and watery hues that can be achieved with gouache watercolour. Certain inks can also provide these effects, and combining these mediums has allowed me to develop a variety of linework and brushstrokes that compliment particular combinations of ink and gouache.

better together.

A Hero's Journey

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This work tells the story of a person's journey out of chronic depression. By combining the archetypal "Hero's Journey" narrative used in books and films with the psychological understanding of depression outlined by Alfred Adler, this series takes the viewer through the key stages of recovery from non-clinical depressive disorder. It should be noted that the journey through these stages takes anything from months to years to progress through, and always feels like a journey of epic proportions for the individual themselves. It is also, ultimately, anecdotal to my own experience and not a gospel script for everyone's recovery.

1. The person reflects on themselves. They are beginning to become self aware of their actions, and must contemplate them deeply before any attempt to change can be productive. For now, they remain passive and watchful.

2. Change begins with a single step forward. No matter how small it is in reality, the first step is always terrifying. It takes great courage and willpower to take a first step on the hero's journey. Indeed, it is impossible to truly know the outcome in advance - perhaps it'll make things worse, even. Who could truly say they know the answer? The person accepts the uncertainty and the risk of backlash with all their courage and falls down onto the unstoppable, unknowable path.

3. Every step reveals more of the malign, self-destructive creature at the darkest depths of their soul. It grips with many hands to pull levers and heartstrings - limiting actions and encouraging others. It is a part of them, created to protect their soul from further harm. By doing so, the creature stifles opportunities to make things better - mending, improving, becoming someone worthy of their own respect. Now fully revealed, the person chooses to expel these aspects of their soul and risks experiencing the world without these protections. It takes persistence every single day. There are trials, tests, and many failures. And when every gripping hand is at last released, the creature rests and fades.

4. For the first time the person sees that, with courage and persistence, they can truly become whoever they desire to be. The statue is mighty, and far from complete. Who shall I be? What shall I choose to value? Every answer chisels a contour into the statue's form.

5. The Hero returns home, knowing now that love is given to them unconditionally. They no longer feel the need to stand out or act differently in order to receive love from their friends, their family, and the world. They could be a quiet participant or a shining star. It makes no difference, and they slip into the crowd knowing that either way, they are part of the community.

And they are loved.

Throughout history, progress in all fields has involved a step-by-step development of ideas. The new world is time and again built on top of the old one, and the tower of humanity grows ever higher.

Height brings instability, and with every step upwards it is all the more important to lay good foundations. Stability comes from looking back on the past with today's knowledge. All of a sudden it's clear that some structures cannot hold under new weight, and hence they are removed and replaced with cohesive structures from contemporary wisdom. Others prove themselves to be rock solid. They are capable of handling the strain for thousands of years to come.

Today I see a world build too fast. There is no regard for reinforcing the foundations below us. There is no reflection, and yet the tower grows higher regardless.

It is time to rebuild from the ground up. New ideologies, new economic structures, new cultural principles that come together to prioritise slowness, persistence, and coherency over maximised tallness for the sake of tallness.

The consequence of the alternative is obvious, like the inevitable collapse of Jenga.

The Game of Towers

Echelons

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