Here’s my sense of this artistic journey: I have a flashlight beam cast on the ground just a step ahead of me. Each step renders a new discovery to be savoured. The epiphany of this drawing is the understanding that the drawing doesn’t have to fit the mould of what a drawing “should” be. I already know how drawings “should” be and I have it programmed in me  to attempt to produce a certain composition.

This drawing doesn’t fit the mould of a “pretty” piece. It also doesn’t follow the guidelines of “process art”– which are inspiring but not completely what I am meant to do. It reflects accurately my process of coming to a relationship with this place which has fascinated me for years– a precipice semi-hidden by vegetation– and at a very particular time of year.

The dark area at the top are the trees way far away on the other side of the gorge. The lighter areas on either side are the scrim of vegetation that masks the chasm. This is indeed the character of this entire geological province (Cumberland Plateau)– a sandstone plateau veined with deep gorges that are most often invisible to the eye until you are at the edge. The sad fact is that people have stepped off the edges of these gorges unawares (usually with the help of intoxicants and at night).

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/tennessee/explore/cumberland-plateau.xml

Cumberland Plateau

The world’s longest hardwood forested plateau is home to many plants and animals found nowhere else.