This series of graphite drawings is inspired by symbology, alchemy, and spiritual iconography. The central concept, Axis Mundi (meaning, ‘axis of the world’), is the still point around which all of the universe is rotating and has been thought of as a portal between the earthly and heavenly realms in various religious and mythological traditions. I have also been influenced by an array of esoteric symbols, mandalas, and other images that early alchemists and philosophers used to create a visual representation of the cosmos. A common thread in this series is the use of circular or mandalic shapes and patterns, signifying a state of no beginning and no end, as well as the ‘all-seeing eye’, which points to a consciousness observing the material world. I’ve also included alchemical symbols in many of the drawings to allude to the merging of dualities (such as sun & moon, fire & water, or male & female).
