Summer Solstice

Ink pen and graphite on paper

About CognEYEzant: 365

365 days, 365 works.

Every day, for 365 days, I will be making a creative representation of an eye. The eyes may be from my imagination, studies of artworks, of people I know, or gathered from people I’ve met on the street. 

I chose to focus on eyes for two reasons. One, I’ve always loved drawing eyes, they make portraits come alive; they express emotion and character; and eyeballs themselves are ageless, raceless, genderless, and each is completely unique. Two, I want to shed light on the unique and infinite stories we have within us because I believe we are all connected by the fact that we have different perceptions and our eyes can be a doorway into how we make and share our perceptions.

The title, CognEYEzant:365, is adapted from, and pronounced the same as, the word cognizant. The English Oxford Living Dictionary defines cognizant as, “having knowledge or being aware of”. Cognizant seemed like a fitting word for the title because, with each eye comes an opportunity to explore awareness and knowledge of the humanity within each of us. By substituting the short i in cognizant with the word eye, my hope is that the different sounds and play on words may invite you to look closer and ask questions. Looking, curiosity, and questions are what CognEYEzant:365 is all about.

Today, CognEYEzant:365 begins with a question. I believe that if we seek out each other’s stories we can learn about the complex, infinite, and very human nature within each of us and make the world a bit more human, a bit more accepting, a bit more curious. Each day and each eye will explore and ask: what might happen if we begin to seek out each other’s eyes, the perceptions behind those eyes, and the stories within those perceptions?

1 day done, 364 to go.