Activated Charcoal.10
For the paintings produced that concentrated on blocks of color directly brushed and shaped on unprimed linen the act of drawing was absent.
Reintroducing the primary act of primitive mark making through drawing on paper energizes this current series.
The dense meandering lines of coarse vine charcoal explode and blossom when over brushed with oil paint thinned with a generous amount of turpentine generating a dispersal of charcoal particles into the turpentine reduced oil paint and greatly affecting the value of the dominant color; creating an instant chiaroscuro.
White and transparent paints are affected the most by the charcoal diffusion but the process of establishing a line-based painting is the stronger element in the painting process. Once acceptable forms evolve then the removal or erasure of unwanted dominant line structures produces value changes and depth. Over painting and oil glazes balance the completion of the work.
Similar to the PURE PAINTINGS, the painting alone is the subject/object. However, unintended visual elements have emerged often upon rotation, producing partially recognizable features or objects to some.
The Activated Charcoal Series works are thinned oil paint on Arches Oil Prepared paper mounted on cradled panels. The sizes are mostly 12”x16” and 9”x12”.