A Long Overdue Update
I have to apologise for my silence around the project. During the months of March and April, a devastating and overwhelming number of women were killed by acts of violence in Australia. To date, 32 lives have been lost. Since launching the project, many people have asked me how I go about drawing these portraits, so I thought I would share some of my process with you. It is a bizarre, roller coaster experience, that is like no other creative journey I have embarked on. Whenever I get a notification of another death from Destroy the Joint, my heart drops. I know I'm not the only one. There is a mixed sense of horror, disappointment, and lack of surprise. The expectation that another death would occur sooner or later disturbs me. I worry I am losing faith in humanity. I have a moment when I look at the numbers, where I feel completely overwhelmed by the scale of this project I have taken on. It feels infinite. And then I feel incredibly guilty, for the work that I am doing is a privilege. I am privileged with life, and the opportunity to make work freely. I can't imagine what it must be like for the families and friends left behind, where time has frozen in tragedy. In my studio, I have a list. It is a list of numbers, of deaths they have occurred. Some of them have names next to them - titles of the portraits that have been completed. The list of numbers unfortunately grows at a faster rate than the list of finished portraits. I often wonder if it is possible to catch up. Sometimes I am frustrated and I walk into the studio and tell myself that I'm just going to pump out a few portraits really quickly. But I can't. It's not how this project works. I make a cup of tea. I carefully choose hairstyles and birds that match and create interesting and evocative images. I peg paper to my drawing board and take moment before I begin. When I start to draw, the experience changes. I go from being horrified at the act committed, to sitting with the woman who I've never met, who I will never meet, and wondering how I will do her justice. It is important to know that the portraits drawn are not meant to reflect the physicality of the victims they portray. I draw to honor the life lost, but I also draw to illustrate the infinite characteristics of 'woman' that exist in our society. Some drawings take me longer than others, this usually depends on two things: - my head space and level of focus at the time - the detail of the birds in the drawing Most of the portraits take about 4 or 5 hours to draw, the longest would be about 7. The detail is fairly intricate, and I take breaks by walking in the garden surrounding my studio, which is full of native birds and plants. I always draw the hair first, the birds second, and the clothing or accessories last. This hasn't been a conscious decision, but reflecting on how I've created the portraits thus far has made me realise that this has been the case for every single one. The hair and birds are drawn in ball point pen. Nothing fancy - good old fashioned, everyday biro. The clothing and accessories are drawn in Indian ink. When I finish, I peg the completed work on the wall next to my drawing board. She will stay there and watch me draw the next portrait. Perhaps it is foolish, but that way, none of us feel alone. The scale of the portraits is important. It is difficult to tell from the photographs, so I have included some images of the work in the studio, to give some context and insight into their creation. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the project with me in greater detail, please don't hesitate to send me an email. Until next time, I will continue to draw, and hope that list doesn't grow any longer.
