James Young   |   2016   |   Illustration & undecided

I began this drawing by creating a sculpture out of my most valued childhood possessions that I deconstructed and wove together with my baptism rosary and glue. Embedded with childhood memories, imagery, textures and sounds, this votive object inspired five drawings of discrete imaginary worlds based off the sculpture, and, using primarily sandpaper to erase, I layered stories and memories of my upbringing into each drawing by sanding and remaking. I then taped the drawings together into a single piece, creating a macrocosm of cut and redrawn memories, some transparent while others more opaque. Upon completion of “Incise,” I sought to create a complementary piece of opposite meaning, “Stitch” (not displayed). This latter work depicts a portrait of my present and future. The intermingling images of art tools with biomedical lab equipment and microscope scans of my own hair and fingernail clippings in “Stitch” speaks of my current attempt to sew art and science together in the Dual Degree Program and build a career from my two passions in life. Together, “Incise” and “Stitch” compose my full self; from cutting, pasting, copying, and drawing from my past, I am able to create my future.