Tranquil Trance 2 (Original)

I drew this straight after Tranquil Trance, using the same pattern but shading the opposite spaces — every part that was filled in before was left empty here, and every part that was empty got filled. The whole thing flips. That's where most of my work comes from: being curious about something and going to have a look.

Some of it was drawn at a friend's kitchen table. My drawing doesn't stay at home or in the studio — it comes with me. It's one of the ways I settle and sort myself out, and you'll very rarely find me anywhere without something to draw on.

What does the settling is the repetition. The same mark again and again, each circle drawn as accurately as I can manage, and the focus it takes leaves no room for anything else — including the part of me that's busy with small everyday things. That falls quiet, and what's left is the part that belongs to something larger.

Hold a magnifying glass to it and you'd see that where the circles meet isn't even all the way around. I know it's there. The detail is what carries it: enough of it and the wobbles stop mattering. It would never survive as a minimal piece, because then you'd see every one.

White gel pen on 300gsm black watercolour paper. A4 (21 × 29.7 cm). Signed by me.