Cactus Ink Drawings

My large cactus drawings in ink aim to create character through the joy of line. The ink black on paper are suggestive of hard woody spines and a permanence and resilience on earth.

During lock-down, I came across the giant Saguaro of the Sonoran Desert, Arizona and was immediately fascinated.Their huge size, long lives, slow growth and ability to survive in an inhospitable desert, drew parallels for me with humanity, desperate to outlive the pandemic.

Working on very large sheets of paper, I began making bold marks with an ink swollen brush emulating the size and feel of these colossus. Within the mark making, character began to emerge through the addition of ‘arms’ and crested ‘head-like’ shapes.

My narrative became obvious, big dramatic mark making, bold gesture, I was saying ‘Hey! look at me, I’m still here, the future is unknown, I can’t leave my house but I have energy and I’m communicating this through the marks I make.’