Gouttes

From a distance, the artworks from the Gouttes series invite contemplation of a misty, rainy landscape. As one approaches, the landscape gives way to countless raindrops resting on a pane of glass. The details of the image gradually emerge: colours become distinguishable, revealing colours, small vertical pencil strokes and, finally, the materiality of the drawing itself.

The works capture the entire process of visual perception — from a first casual glance to intent observation. The surface appears obscured by raindrops: as the gaze focuses on the landscape, the glass dissolves, yet the droplets continue to distort, conceal and reveal details.

The works are built up in multiple layers of coloured pencil laid over a silvery or blue-toned wash. The working process, slow and meticulous, is akin to that of a plotter. The gesture can take on a mechanical quality in its repetition. Paradoxically, this extended duration of making serves the representation of a fleeting instant, when the glass collects raindrops and the landscape is reshaped by passing rain. A moment later, the pattern of the raindrops has changed, and so has the landscape, but the artistic gesture preserves it in time.