2017 was not a good year. I approached 2018 in a pretty dark place and needed to find an outlet to help me make sense of my new reality.  I came across a black and white photo of two men embracing that drew me in because of its intensity. It became the cathartic image that led me to this series.

 

I tend to paint with lots of color in acrylics. I seldom use charcoal, but it seemed to be the medium best suited to my mood and the way I wanted to interpret the photographs. And I decided to try to achieve the imagery through the process of lifting, or erasing, the solid charcoal negative background to create the positive spaces—out of darkness comes light. The artistic process mirrored my explorations of my new life. 

 

“Embrace” seemed a natural theme to express the meaning behind this series. I have been engaged in an attempt to embrace this new artistic technique and also the journey of finding out who I am being on my own. Neither process has been easy, but I can report that I am feeling more confident in my mastery of the medium of charcoal and am feeling more comfortable in my own skin.