Tools of the Trade

Newsprint paper. It's not archival. It's cheap in every sense of the word, and yellows as it ages.

Charcoal. It's dry and dusty. No frills; simply charred wood. Smudges easily and is difficult at times to control.

Two relatively raw materials, due to quickly fade and decay, to be consumed by the earth.

The glorification of these two tools comes only from the application of one to another. But even then, their life expectancy is short.

Maybe the goal of forging art from these tools is to create something beautiful and impermanent. There is something rewarding from creating art that will soon disappear...

...Now I know how pancake artists must feel.