Hypnagogia, or "hypnagogic hallucinations," is the state between wakefulness and sleep, where the subconscious dominates the mind. In contrast to the logical search for solutions in the waking state, this state fosters intuitive, creative connections. Roger Haus embraces this state while drawing with pencil, marker, or ballpoint pen on paper and canvas. He fills electrifying, vibrant backgrounds with a distinctive cast of recurring characters and surreal scenes that intertwine through never-ending, soft, organic shapes. Cats, smoking birds, dogs, fish, gangsters, rappers, and children populate these joyful, densely layered worlds. Through a play of double imagery, the negative space around one figure becomes the outline of another, allowing new characters to emerge from the silhouettes of those already present. Some creatures become portals to unexpected worlds, their bodies opening to reveal characters within. Part graffiti. Part dream. Part map of a curious mind.
