This Little Empress Has Built Her House of Cards Upon A Quagmire

graphite on paper

image: 36 x 21 inches

frame: 50 x 36 inches

Occasionally, I will hear a short phrase or read a fragment of text that compels a deeply visceral response that in turn prompts visual imagery. The drawing This Little Empress Has Built Her House Of Cards Upon A Quagmire was inspired by a BBC radio interview with an American soldier stationed in Baghdad who compared the rebuilding efforts outside of the heavily protected Green Zone to building a “house of cards upon a quagmire.” This idea, and subsequent visual imagery, evolved into a drawing that explores the frailty of political institutions and how networks built upon power are often tentative and tenuous.