Two Phobias: Of Mice and Moon

Drawn to the Wall V Exhibit, “Two Phobias”
-photo by Christian Woods     

     To a phobic, the depth of fear is wholly out of proportion to the actual threat. Fear of the moon—why is madness called lunacy? Musophobia—even the thought of mice or rats can induce states ranging from panic to paralysis.  Two Phobias explores out-sized fear in an over-sized medium.

 On the work itself, the isolation of space has been enhanced by hand-rubbing charcoal into the chalkboard paint background. Features of the moon are charcoal over white gesso. The mice are drawn hair-by-hair with a silverpoint stylus, a technique I learned at a British Museum workshop in Elizabethan art materials; the images will change over time as the silver reacts to its environment.

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Here are some photos, taken in August, as I worked on my wall drawing:

Day #3, making the moon

Day #4

Day #6

Loo and Moo discuss drawing processes

Day #8, life-size silverpoint mice

Kurt Madison adds a patina to the silverpoint