The Origin & Future of the Blood
(2007-2010)

The Origin & Future of the Blood is a series of illustrations for about 40 of Blaise Pascal's "Pensées." Pascal, who lived in the 17th century, spent his life working on what was to be a comprehensive defense of Christianity. The work was never completed, and what remained upon his death was basically a box-full of scraps and sometimes sheets of notes. The fragments assembled by editors and called the "Pensées" range from brilliant stand-alone aphorisms to lengthy apologies for Christian doctrine; from the parsing of Biblical minutiae to puzzling pronouncements. The Origin & Future of the Blood is a series of responses to Pascal, specifically to what I see as the big issues of being human: passions, reason, religion, knowledge, spirituality, social behavior, existentialism, time, etc. These images flesh out the text, but are also meant to stand on their own. The Origin and Future of the Blood was shown at Swee[t]art Drawing Gallery (part of Compound Gallery), in Oakland, California in October, 2010. Thanks to artist, curator, and wildman Obi Kaufmann for offering to show this work, and for the inspiration to finish it, after 3 years at work.