A psychedelic journey follows a pattern: come up, onset, peak, and comedown. During the come up and onset phases, depending on the compound, one may use drawing as a way to relax and occupy oneself as the effects take hold. However, some compounds induce nausea during the come up stage, so drawing may not be on one’s mind. If one did decide to draw during the come up and onset stages, I imagine that any nausea, nervousness, excitement, or initial psychedelic effects would distract oneself from the artistic task at hand.
On moderate doses of psychedelics, the peak of the trip can also occupy most of one’s attention. It is normal to want to get lost in the perceptual, emotional, and introspective effects – as well as the music one is listening to – rather than try to create the kind of artwork one normally creates when sober. And if one does decide to draw or paint during the peak, it may not be very focused or serious but instead may be more relaxed and loose. The outcome could be interesting and abstract – perhaps reflecting the psychedelic effects (e.g. visual patterns) one is experiencing – but it will be difficult to produce the kind of artwork made by a sober mind and steady hand. If one attempted a self-portrait, portrait, still life, or landscape drawing/painting, it would likely not turn out as ‘accurate’ (e.g. in proportion) as it would if one were sober.
I recently went to see some of Henri Michaux’s ‘Mescaline Drawings’, which the Franco-Belgian artist created in the 1950s and 1960s, based on four experiments with mescaline in the former decade. (These drawings are currently being displayed at the Courtauld Gallery in London until June; I highly recommend visiting the exhibition if you have the chance.) These drawings were not created while Michaux experienced the full effects of mescaline; he started drawing in the aftermath of his trips – in the hours or sometimes days following them.
Michaux’s aim was to use mescaline to gain better access to his unconscious mind and then recreate these unconscious outpourings. What we see is highly abstract: not the stereotypical psychedelic and kaleidoscopic designs of 60s psychedelia but seismographic-esque scribbles and zig-zags. I find Michaux’s ‘Mescaline Drawings’ to be highly pareidolic: I cannot help but see images emerge from the chaos. Jonathan Jones notes the same in his write-up of the exhibition for The Guardian. Michaux himself noted he saw faces in these drawings, and it is easy to see them too: the vague appearance of eyes, noses, and mouths. What one sees in these drawings can vary and shift. Some drawings give the appearance of an insect, sealife, writing, a spine-like structure, or a coastline. As Jones writes:
What is this wood of symbols? It could be vegetation, or arteries, or the brain’s neural network. As a surrealist Michaux was accustomed to seeing images in random marks. It’s a process that touches on how the brain works – and maybe mescaline intensifies it. As you gaze into these drawings, they seem to shape themselves into images, only for the images to slip away, mere phantoms of the mind.
These drawings may have the appearance that they were created under the full effects of mescaline, but they weren’t. Some were made immediately afterwards. Michaux notes, “It is impossible to think of moving the hand to draw while in the shock phase.” Indeed, while experiencing the full effects of any psychedelic, artistic ability can be seriously hampered. However, he found that “the vibrations persist for weeks”. So while he couldn’t draw, as he intended, during the stage of acute psychedelic effects – when he was experiencing a range of inner visions – his post-mescaline state was still unlike his sober state. The ‘vibrations’ that persisted seem to have influenced his drawings, as they are characterised by an intense vibratory quality. (I cover Michaux’s artwork, including his ‘Mescaline’ and ‘Post-Mescaline’ drawings, in chapter 5 of my new book; you can also read some of my writing on his artwork here and here.)
While one may find, like Michaux, that it is difficult or impossible to draw during the ‘shock’ phase of a psychedelic trip, it may be easier and enjoyable to draw during the comedown phase, or when is experiencing some after-effects. This could be an opportunity to try to recreate, visualise, or symbolise what one experienced during the full effects of the drug. This post-peak or post-trip period of artistic activity can also be especially helpful to integration. The artwork can serve as a reminder of some important moments of the psychedelic experience. Psychedelic integration often depends on retrieval cues – things that help one retrieve memories of these sometimes difficult-to-remember experiences – and drawings or paintings can act as an effective reminder of what one experienced.
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Wow!!
Truly fascinating topic, really interesting art approach👏🏻👏🏻
Deep!