| Some time ago, I purchased a box of charcoal crayons, and began using these to sketch on panels that I would later paint. It was great fun. Later, when I went to paint on these, I had an epiphany of sorts. As my brush loaded with alkyd medium touched the line, the charcoal chalk bled into the white surface of the panel. A deep space more typically found in traditional painting appeared. |  |
Little by little a painted line replaced the line produced by the charcoal chalk. The painted line proved to be more versatile and I found it to be useful in describing shadow and volumes. To my delight, this enabled me to expand my subject matter from landscape to still life and architectural settings.
These drawing-based paintings presented me with a challenge. They were entirely different than works that I had been developing for the last 25 years. They didn't refer to the modernist expressionist works that I admired where aggressive color and pronounced texture were common. They were quieter. The space described by these paintings was rather traditional. They didn't push forward into the viewer's space or emphasize the flat surface of the picture plane.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed living with the completed works. They seemed to offer intimacy as well as a visual space for contemplation; time stood still as I pondered them. I also loved making them. As in the viewing, the experience of working on these works was contemplative; I felt suspended in time. Consequently, I realized that this was a direction worth pursuing.
