Super/Natural
Charcoal Drawings
In the past when a storm came through, my father would call and immediately ask after the huge live oaks in my yard. He wasn't as worried about the house or material possessions and when I pointed this out, he answered “You can rebuild a house, but only time, and lots of it, can grow those magnificent trees."
I share my father's fascination with and reverence for Quercus Virginiana, the monumental Southern Live Oak. The natural wonders and iconic oaks of the South Carolina low country are a tremendous inspiration for me and inform this current series of charcoal drawings. Unfortunately, mankind is proving to be far harder on our environment than Mother Nature, as we witness in real time the destruction of our ecosystems through rampant overdevelopment, climate changes and careless stewardship.
I have long envisioned that a large-scale monochromatic format would be an effective way to do justice to the lush majesty of these sentinels and the complex network of life they support. Charcoal yields the deep darks and smokey effects that best embody the ethos of my subjects, and because charcoal is made from twigs of willow or vine, I enjoy the synchronicity that medium and subject are ultimately one.
I focus in on intricate details with a wide variety of vine charcoal and compressed pencils, but also explore my medium in less traditional ways- by splashing, spattering and printing charcoal and water in a painterly fashion for an organic effect that complements my more disciplined marks. I aim to strike a dynamic balance and invigorate my work with an energy that brings it to life. A monochromatic palette pushes graphic intensity to clarify and emphasize my main message: our natural environment is as endangered as it is beautiful.
I approach each subject as a dignified elder posing for a portrait and want to capture what is totally unique in each. Generous scale is essential because it abstracts my drawings, playing up diverse textural styles and presenting honestly the emotional mass these trees emanate. I want to demand of the viewer the gravitas they deserve, and I hope you will see my subjects the way that I feel them. My biggest fear is that my drawings, meant to be celebratory, become a eulogy. Please help me to ensure this does not happen.
The second challenge of my Super/ Natural project was to tackle technical issues that arise in the presentation and preservation of works on paper. Typically, drawings are protected by glass, creating a barrier between the viewer, and introducing problems with glare, weight, and expense. Large scale only compounds these issues.
With the Super/Natural series, I have experimented with substrates, papers, and mounting procedures, adhering quality hot press watercolor papers to hand-made cradled panels. I have also formulated my own textured clay board panels with archival ingredients to develop rigid substrates that are far more durable than paper but accept charcoal in a way that preserves the freshness of a work on paper.
Then there is the challenge of protecting the finished work. The very qualities I love most about Charcoal - its richness and velvety matte sheen- would be ruined by typical varnishes. While in the film industry, I routinely dealt with glare issues on set, and am familiar with a wide variety of finishes that can protect my work without interfering with the qualities that make my medium so desirable to me.
I initially fix my work with totally non-toxic casein and wax workable fixative originally formulated by Edgar Degas for his pastels, and now produced by Spectrafix. I then build up 20-30 light dustings of a flat, UV protective archival sealant to mimic the texture and feel of the Arches and Fabriano papers I use to create a work that can displayed free of a glass barrier, without reflection and weight restrictions. The result is a large charcoal drawing that retains the freshness of a drawing but has the durability and presentation characteristics of an oil painting.