Illustrated Connection

Titled after my original cartooning name, below is a large collection of collages which are now a heavy part of my artistic practice. These mind maps bring my simplest and most complex ideas together through the process of mark-making, cartooning, blueprinting, wordplay and doodling. These excerpts are from both my digital journals and my physical ones, a meeting place where together, in messy cohesion, a dialogue can hopefully take place between conceptual thought, brainstorming, play and learning through illustrated connections.

(For all of the collages, feel free to open the main image and locate the information button (‘i’) at the bottom right side of the image tab to gain access to a full-sized render. This will allow you to explore and search through each collage in greater detail).

not perfectly Placed (2022-2023)

I began this collage exactly one year ago. I had just broken my right collarbone. Since then I have slowly added to it. At that time, as it was the most accessible option, I decided to keep a digital diary (I could only utilize my non-dominant hand).

This was a place to house markings, words, shapes, blueprints and inspiration. This practice is now a cemented part of my creative routine. This illustrated contemplation kept me motivated throughout the months of healing, with many of these messy collages helping ideas and projects come to fruition.

Layered with additional transparent material (2023)

This journal entry includes blueprints of current works in progress. It also houses screen printing tests by dancer Bashir Al Mahayni.

1. made it easy to connect to water. (2022)

These next five busy collages are from a journal I kept during my field school at the Festival TransAmérique (FTA) in Montreal, Quebec. I had been mapping and reflecting (sometimes in the simplest forms) on the days and performances I had experienced.

The jot notes were taken during various performances, conversations and artist talks. A shared collection of initial thoughts, words heard, movements seen and memories reflected upon. These particular pages (base layers) were originally drawn on the day I saw Reincarnation by Qudus Onikeku and the day I got the chance to hear him speak about his performative dance work.

2. Beautiful force of movement on floor (2022)

3. Fluid words blending merging combined (2022)

4. When swaying hits the sides of the walls = ringing (2022)

This collage, in particular, was made on the first day of my field school. This class was focused on having conversations and dialogue between students about the content of the festival and what we had all experienced.