Ok, so an introduction!

I have #migraine and draw during attacks (usually during the pro- or post- drome phases). Migraine can do strange things to your brain. My body changes size and shape, I'm covered in bees, I speak or write gibberish, I can't read, I look at objects and do not understand what they are, I see kaleidoscopic colour shows, patterned objects gently undulate. I lose track of a sense of self and reality.

Drawing grounds me while my mind is fragmenting and helps put the pieces back together. I start always with simple lines, repetitive movements and patterns that gradually become something I recognize. Even if I do not recognize myself, the ritual of drawing soothes me and points a way forward.

I'm also a #scientist and I like to think that my fascination with plants (at all scales) shows up in the organic shapes and almost-repetitive patterns of my art.

I always start with #pencil and #paper because the scratchy smooth resistance of graphite across the page is part of the sensory centering drawing provides me. I transfer the original pencil to #ink because I like the stronger contrast and I love to redo a drawing and see something different. Lately I've been using #colour again, mostly #markers.