The Tactile Experience

There is a pleasure in drawing that isn't always available through a brush and paint; each has its own appeal, and the tactile experience is a distinctive element in artistic exploration. Because every artwork is about more than the finished product - every artist will tell you that it is the journey, not just the destination, that satisfies the life of an artist. Without the journey, there is only production, not creation.

With a pencil, I can describe the same elements that I can with a brush, but the challenge to claim a gradient shade or a deliciously accented contrast in graphite is far more appealing. With paint, I merely have to keep the paint wet and work a blending brush lightly over the top - in paint, you work the light. In pencil, you work the shadows. A fine pencil means describing shadow and depth with layer upon layer, a tiny stroke at a time.

Is it worth it? I feel so. I treasure the long hours that I get to spend with the work; that time gives each piece the love, patience and value that I believe art needs to live and breathe on its own, beyond me.