PORTUGAL SKETCHES

I wondered if the different types of burnt wood produced charcoal of different colours or tones. Among the colours I have discovered is a wonderful earth red, possibly from burned wood of the Carob tree. In use, it soon became apparent that the marks the charcoal pieces made were unpredictable. Sometimes material was so soft it produced intense blacks, other times it was so brittle the charcoal exploded on contact with the paper. The variations in the material is what engages me. The surprising and unpredictable properties of the material helps to evoke a freshness full of surprising outcomes. It’s as though the material itself were playfully enjoying the process too.