Through research and media accounts, I have sought out those that resemble the wodewose, or "wild man" type.
In literature and mythology, the wodewose typically lives alone the fringes of civilization. Just as typically, the existence of the wodewose causes great anxiety for others.
Many of us have the strong desire to be around nature. Often it is dangerous, and we have to risk parts of ourselves, emotionally, and physically. Therefore, we are selective and mediated with our interactions. Those who leap without hesitation make us defensive and anxious - those who allow for their wildness to exist less repressed.
The portraits rendered in this series are of real people and the natural forces which they loved, and eventually caused their deaths.
[All drawings are 22 x 30 in. in graphite and gold leaf on paper]
