Bruce Granquist
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

In 2012 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I thought this meant that my career as a book illustrator and calligrapher was over. But after making some experiments I realized that the tremor in my right hand allowed me to make much more expressive calligraphic lines than I had made before. I never could have imagined that the tremors could be such a powerful tool, and could help me produce a new form of beauty. Instead of being the end of my life as an artist, it was the beginning of something new.

These two paintings are both simple spirals. They begin at the outside and then tighten up until reaching the center which is left unpainted. These centers become a kind of visual sanctuary, peaceful and protected.