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Friday, March 13, 2015

A Place

A Place   vine charcoal on paper   15 x 21
Drawing is a wonderful way to spend time.  Drawings help one to refine draftspersonship, and to explore all of the design elements and principles without the sometimes confusing elements of color and color relationships.  Drawings are faster and can be left for a period of time without fear of the drying up of materials.  As with any endeavor, the complexity of drawing slowly reveals itself, the more we practice it.  Vine charcoal is a softer material which allows for a slower contemplation of the subject matter.  Yet, it is not capable of the darkest darks which are possible with charcoal sticks.  Charcoal sticks are appropriate, in my opinion, for a bold and sure, as well as minimal, application.  Too much stick charcoal without a sure goal, can yield a muddied work, as removal of the charcoal becomes next to impossible.  Conte crayons are wonderful, yet cannot be easily smudged or moved around.  Papers matter as well.  A paper with much texture results in a drawing where texture reigns....good if that is your goal.  And yet a plate surface does not provide an absorption of the pigment. Newsprint quickly turns to acid. One figures all of this out as one continues to draw.

"A Place" was drawn from light to dark, similar to a watercolor process, where whites are cherished and left untouched.  I started with vine charcoal to move around the paper....it is relatively forgiving.  Darker darks were added later with charcoal pencils and sticks.  My eraser(kneaded)was used as a tool in order to achieve a push::pull relationship.  This application, I believe, was appropriate for this subject matter.  My use of materials might change given another subject, another desired effect.  Although I have many drawing papers, I chose a sheet out of a pad of Strathmore 400 series 90# drawing paper and am quite happy with the result.  This paper would not stand up to a more aggressive application.

"A Place" reveals a place at the table, a place of acceptance and of comfort.  I don't think that there could be a more important thing to have...a place.  I wish it for all.