My current work on paper and artist books is an intensive study of twisted ropes in tangled, suspended masses. As still-life props, muscular nautical and agricultural ropes are carefully examined and rendered in either brushy, expressive marks or through scrutinized observation following the tension of a coil, loop, snag, or frayed surface. The body of work, drawings in ink on assorted washi paper and the two mixed medium books, relies on the metaphor of a segment of rope. The ancient and contemporary tool, the rope, exhibits characteristics that have not changed over time: labor efficiency, tyranny, and the economic use of simple materials to secure safety and profit. Even in a dormant pile, the lax rope is dynamic, full of potential as an eventual aid in harnessing diverse messages. I suspend, place at varied eye levels, and toss ropes to study as references for much of my work: painting, printmaking, and drawing. The ropes’ shadows and overlapping forms further engage the inventions of atmosphere; submerged, hanging, tangled, or tied, they serve as powerful stand-ins for views of current political and environmental issues and for private conundrums.