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The Cosmic Calendar was created by Carl Sagan to compress the entire history of the universe into one calendar year. This allowed for a more understandable perspective on the timeline of the universe (especially to factor in that the majority of the universe’s history occurred before humans existed). 

From all the events that Sagan lists out, I picked several to depict the loose timeline through laser cut illustrations and printed text on Kozo paper. The book can be read from two different sides and rests in a clamshell box.

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coming up next

“But grandmother, what big teeth you have!” said Little Red Riding Hood.

“The better to eat you with!” roared the wolf, and before she could scream, he sprang from the bed and swallowed Little Red Riding Hood whole.

~ The Little Red Riding Hood

Growing up, I’ve read several books about how the “Big, Bad Wolf” terrorizes people and animals, whether in Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs or in Aesop’s Fables. This stereotype has unknowingly bled into our perception of wolves in the real world - and the harm they may cause us. But the risk of a wolf attacking us is… near zero. Rather, it is in their nature to avoid us. In the early 20th century, park officials decided to eradicate the grey wolf population in Yellowstone National Park in the United States of America because they deemed the creatures to be predatory and harmful. By killing over one hundred wolves, the park felt the absence of the wolves in damaging ways. I found it interesting that we are so fond of domesticated dogs (as far as referring to them as “man’s best friend”), yet their ancestors, the wolf, are cast aside and killed off as harmful predators. 

Canidae is an artist’s book that explores these contrasting views we hold on the two animals. This book has four sides: two are dedicated to the domesticated dog (canis familiaris) and two for the grey wolf (canis lupus). One part of the book covers the history of domestication, the extinction of wolves in Yellowstone, and the similarities in the biologies of the two creatures with images of the respective animal. In the other, I illustrated a comic about how each animal is portrayed from the point of view of the other. I have also interspersed adjectives between the panels of the comic. As the reader, which animal first comes to mind when you read each adjective - the domesticated dog or the grey wolf? Are you seeing a pattern as you assign them? 

Currently, with the reintroduction of the grey wolf into Yellowstone, the elk population has stabilized and the trees in the Aspen forests have flourished which has resulted in more bird species. Hopefully, we’ve learned our lesson in messing with the ecosystem. 

Reach out to enquire about price and acquire a copy for your museum/library/personal collections.

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“Pop. Six. Squish. Uh-uh. Cicero. Lipschitz.”

Cell Block Tango is a song from the 1975 musical Chicago about six women who are incarcerated for murdering their significant other. This piece is a series of artist’s books housed in a book box consisting of an introduction to the Cook County Jail and six zines dedicated to each woman. The books and materials used to create each story reflect the theme of their respective murder. 

Reach out to enquire about price and acquire a copy for your museum/library/personal collections.

Orullaigal is a dystopian sci-fi novel about a desolate city built on the surface of a tape recorder. Rajesh, an archeologist on the brink of retirement, decides to travel to Orullaigal as his last adventure. Curious about this now barren city, he is keen on learning about the people, the places and the origin of the disease. But his trip starts to go sideways when he begins to unveil the secrets that lie within Orullaigal’s past, changing his own future. This graphic novel is inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Grundig recorder.

Reach out if you’re interested in reading the entire book.

coming up!

House of Memories is a research-driven narrative about dissociative amnesia and generational trauma. The narrative reflects the fragmented nature of memory as it follows a mother, father and son and the events that lead up to the loss of a family member. This piece is very important to me and my practice. I experiment with non-linear narratives as this story can be read from front to back, as well as back to front. The significance lies in the limited color palette: each family member is assigned one color that slowly fades and brightens as we switch from the past to the present.

Reach out if you’re interested in reading the entire book.