Many of the drawings predictably capture the difficult scenes one would expect from a war zone: soldiers on patrol, the aftermath of an explosion, a soldier saluting at the memorial service of a fallen soldier. But Mumford also captured, in exquisite detail, everyday life in Iraq: a portrait of a shopkeeper’s son, life in the marketplace, spectacular views of the city from a rooftop, kids playing soccer next to the Tigris River, an artist painting in his studio. “Each drawing would take about an hour to complete, and the people I was depicting would come and go as I was drawing, so the narrative evolves over time,” said Mumford. Although he was aware that he was in a war zone, and learned to expect the disconcerting sound of a distant or not-so-distant bomb or mortar exploding, Mumford was moved to record Iraqis trying to get on with their lives. As he sketched, Iraqis would form a big circle around him watching and commenting liberally in Arabic about whether Mumford was accurately capturing the person or situation he was drawing. “Although it was very difficult to work in such a public forum, the crowd always made me feel more relaxed as it was obvious that they were enjoying watching me draw. Iraqi culture is a hospitable culture, and Iraqis were always inviting me to lunch or tea.” For many individuals who have seen them, the drawings evoke a more personal response than a photo. “It’s very important for people to experience the war through the eyes of an artist. While photos capture a decisive moment, drawing is more about lingering in a place and editing the scene in a wholly subjective way,” said Mumford. A compilation of Mumford’s powerful drawings, accompanied by his running narrative of the events he witnessed firsthand, has been recently published in a book called Baghdad Journal. His work has been exhibited in galleries nationwide, including the Meadow’s Museum in Dallas, Texas; the Cranbrook Art Museum
in Cranbrook, Michigan; and, in New York, the Postmasters Gallery and P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art. He has also been profiled in a New York Times feature article, was interviewed by PBS’ The Lehrer Report, and was tapped as ABC’s Person of the Week. Mumford has a diploma from the School of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a MFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His love of drawing, however, was solidified at CSW, where he enjoyed a passion for comic book art, and drew inspiration from art teacher Randy Darwall, who first taught him about perspective. From his CSW experience, Mumford took away “an admiration of the school’s fierce encouragement of independence of thought and action.” After graduating from CSW, Mumford enrolled in the University of California at Santa Cruz as an anthropology major. Taking some time off from his studies, Mumford satisfied his penchant for travel and enthusiasm for anthropology by traveling to South America where he painted members of indigenous Indian tribes in Brazil and Peru. Today, Mumford lives and works on New York City’s Lower East Side with his artist wife, Inka Essenhigh, and has this advice for aspiring young artists: “Remain true to your own artistic vision,” he said. “The best art is always the most honest.”
Gryphon Spring 2006
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