Origin Piece VII — Drawn From Life

Drawn From Life is a one-of-one varsity jacket built around personal history, translated entirely through blue ballpoint pen. Both sleeves were drawn directly onto the fabric by hand using blue BIC ballpoint pens. Seven dogs form the central imagery, surrounded by symbols carrying individual significance: the star from the Philippine flag, a Jujutsu symbol and the Washington Nationals “W”. Together, these elements form a portrait without depicting the person himself. Identity is expressed instead through attachment, heritage, discipline and personal references — fragments of a life brought together across two sleeves. The use of a single, everyday drawing instrument was deliberate. Working exclusively in blue BIC ballpoint pen reduces the visual language to line, pressure, density and repetition. There is no print and no reproduced image: every mark exists directly on the garment. The work extends beyond the jacket itself. A custom presentation box was designed and made specifically for the piece, carrying the same visual language and transforming its presentation into part of the complete object. Originally created as a personal commission, the work was subsequently gifted and is now held in a private collection. It was later designated Origin Piece VII — Drawn From Life within Baldr | Authored Work.