Created during a period of complex PTSD on the anniversary of my father’s passing, these drawings come from a time when I genuinely did not want to go on. For three months, I felt as though I had laid myself down not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually. I could barely work; I could barely breathe. I turned to the work of Australian artists John Olsen, John Wolseley, and Kathryn Del Barton as inspiration and as references to find a way to keep moving through this with art, and to avoid as much as possible anything that fuelled my loss, grief, and anxieties. My thinking was foggy, my world felt like a very dark hole, and the only thing I could do was follow a single line out of it. A Micador fine pen and a basic sketchbook were all I could manage—no set-up, no clean-up—just drawing until I could see through the darkness. My father was my soul mate. He passed during COVID, which in itself was a traumatic experience. After a year of simply being told to “get on with it,” I could no longer carry life in the same way.
This selection of black-and-white pen works helped to save my life, just as my Atrabilious series did 20 years earlier. Drawing has always been my essential survival tool.
These works are available for collection. $300 each. Each piece is A3 in size. All works are unframed unless otherwise stated.
If you would like to purchase a piece, you can use the PayPal option or contact me directly at connieburns73@gmail.com. All prices include postage. Please note that, unless otherwise specified, all works are sold unframed.
Connie Burns Artist 