May 25, 2011





In the studio recently:
charcoal drawings on grey paper
(with white conté crayon added to the first one,
the rest not).

I have decided,
that when it comes to charcoal,
I greatly prefer
working on grey paper
as opposed to white.

Unlike white paper,
grey encourages
to leave untouched
the spaces between
the marks being added
and the midtones already there,
reminding me
that it is usually those spaces
that are what
really make the drawing.

8 comments:

  1. Lovely. i like working on gray paper too. Do you use willow or vine?

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  2. so pretty and subtle and alot less drastic than if you were using white paper. i agree!

    xo
    sami

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  3. I really like the posture captured in your third figure.

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  4. very true words, spoken well. your drawings are incredible, subtle and beautiful.

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  5. i have to agree. the gray also adds a softness. i am drawn to the 3rd, seeing a bit of myself in it. you are so talented.

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  6. Thanks guys! @ Oktooca: I used soft vine charcoal on these.

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  7. Gorgeous. And ditto on grey paper when it comes to charcoal.

    and P.S. have you read Second Nature by Michael Pollan? I try to read it every few years and just picked it up again and it still surprises and delights me in ways no other book has, in terms of the connection (and disconnection)between nature and culture. If you're a Wendell Berry gal, I think you might fall deeply in love with this one. xo

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  8. Thanks guys!

    @BigBANG Studio: I think we must have pretty similar taste, because I looked up this book and then immediately put it on hold at the library. Sounds like the perfect book to read this summer while everything is blooming--can't wait. Thanks for the suggestion!

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