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The
Figure and Its Field
ArtScan Gallery April 23-May 29, 1999
Houston, Texas
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This installation of my
patient portrait woodcut series is installed behind a veil of flowers.
The flowers are relief photoengravings, printed on round circles of paper.Exhibition
photos by Roger Haile.
This space is part of a larger group show curated by Volker Eisele for
his ArtScan gallery in Houston.
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Beginning in 1993,
I began making small sketches of HIV patients during ward rounds. In 1997,
I enlarged some of these sketches and began a series of woodcuts, which
I print on handmade paper.
Most of the patients from the mid-1990's have died from HIV/AIDS. The more
recent portraits are of people living with HIV. Individual woodcut portraits
can be viewed in my print catalog raisonne.
Click here to view portraits listed in Print Catalog
Raisonne. |
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Many of the steps
in creating the portraits help me physically work through my emotional responses
to my psychiatric work with HIV/AIDS patients. First, I cut and chop into
hard marine plywood to make the woodcuts. Then I grind cotton and abace
fibers in my hollander beater and form sheets of paper onto the inked woodcuts.
These inked woodblocks covered with wet paper are printed under great pressure
in my hydraulic press.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS PROCESS FOR FAERYLAND.
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In 1998, I began
to cut woodblock frames which are printed around some of the patient portraits.
The frame images tell more of the HIV/AIDS story and are associated with
HIV transmission––histories of child abuse, compulsive and unsafe
sex, unclean injection techniques or other drug use. Another woodcut frame
shows a band of angels circling the dying person as they lie in their hospital
bed.
In 1999, I wrote about this in the small book The
New Face of AIDS |
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I'm standing on
the right, with my patient, discussing his portrait at The Figure and its
Field reception. Patients are asked to consent to my drawing their portraits,
and are informed that the drawing might be turned into a woodcut which might
be exhibited. Several patients attended this exhibit and agreed to be interviewed
by me in front of their portraits. |
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