Variations: Leigh Rigozzi

A friend once told me ‘drawing is actually an elaborate form of handwriting’. This statement made a lasting impression on me. The simpler a drawing is, the more it resembles a glyph. A series of glyphs in a sequence can create a unit of meaning.

Through simplifying and abstracting my drawings, employing repetition and variation, and setting then breaking a series of rules, I have arrived at this current body of work. Each of these pictures has a separate form, concept, or experience behind it.

Drawing is a language in itself, and every person who draws speaks a slightly different language. Each drawing has its own rules. Sometimes I have a very specific intent, while at other times I have no idea whatsoever. Frequently I will start out with one thing in mind and end up at a point far distant from where I intended.

Much of the work here is inspired by spending time in the garden or walking around my neighbourhood. A lot of it is also just mucking around and seeing what I like. I hope you see something that interests you here.

Image: Leigh Rigozzi, Metamorphosis V, gouache on paper, 2023