Ink drawing by Californian artist Michael Dormer

Dormer constructs a scene where two hybrid figures meet halfway between the organic and the mechanical. A threadlike, almost insectoid form on the left unfolds in a complex tangle of lines and splotches. Slender antennae emerge from what might be its head. Its fragmented body suggests an awkward motion suspended between momentum and imbalance. Facing it, a more compact creature resembling an anthropomorphic bird appears to extend a hand—perhaps offering a check or a high-five—a surreal yet tangible connection imbued with humor.

The absence of color heightens the interplay of contrasts: deep blacks, likely achieved through ink washes, stand against the untouched areas of the paper, creating volumes without closed contours. The paper’s space remains open and unanchored, lending the composition a floating, almost dreamlike dimension. As always with Dormer - synonymous with the California surf counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s - the drawing challenges our perception of life and mutable forms. Are these figures amid metamorphosis, remnants of an internal mythology, or fragments of an enigmatic dialogue escaped from a dream?

BIO

Michael Dormer was an American fine artist, writer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and creator of the 1960s TV show Shrimpenstein. His body of work is so vast that it would be more interesting for you to go on Wikipedia.

REFERENCE NUMBER: LU654315775042
PERIOD: 1960-1969
CONDITION: Good
MEASUREMENTS: Height: 12" Width: 9.5" Depth: 0.66"
COUNT: 1
MATERIAL: Ink, Watercolor
CREATOR: Michael Dormer