There is this mental space that is a step beyond clarity one enters if you haven’t slept for a month. It is an uncomfortable place an illusory haze where nothing feels real or imagined. Imagery otherwise considered day dreams become vivid hallucinations. Tangible, sensory experiences that demand our attention. After a motorcycle accident sent my already chronic pain onto the path of unbearable I was unable to sleep for at least a month. This made my brain enter into a hypomanic state and even with powerful sleep aids I was unable to get more than a nap. Images haunted me during this period of time. This is one such work.

Laying in bed before me this image erupted forth a hurricane of searing pain and splendor. I could feel the wind and roaring sound of the almost mechanical gears turning. The searing light that burned like an enso turning in my mind caused me physical pain but closing my eyes did nothing to alleviate the discomfort. It was so beautiful but so painful. Unable to sleep I immediately returned to my studio to create this watercolor piece on gold leaf.