Ode to Charcoal

Love Letter

Dear Charcoal (and charcoal variants),

You are what makes me feel like my true self. You are a manifestation of my soul. You are fluid, yet rigid, according to how much pressure someone puts on you.

Charcoal, you are my two-dimensional clay. I can carve bodies and faces out of you with simple swipe of the stick or my eraser.

And you are not just one; you are so many. Vine, compressed, white, grey, so many options. Char-kole, Artgraf, Russian Sauce, Conte Crayon – your variants are what helps me feel fulfilled, yet always learning. Your reaction to blending stump, paper towel, or chamois cloth always keeps me on my toes. Not to mention how you react to water…

I can tone paper with you, brush you on with water for harsh strokes. We can create on watercolor, pastel, or drawing paper. We can even create on canvas, cardboard, or the wall of my studio.

There is no question why I have two drawers dedicated to you in my studio. I am obsessed. Plus, you are affordable (I promise I’m not calling you easy…).

I know you have seen me with oil paint quite a bit lately, but Charcoal, you are what makes me feel free, unstructured, and flowing – my true artist self.

“Hug hug kiss kiss hug hug big kiss little hug kiss kiss little kiss” (Nacho from Nacho Libre, 2006)

Vivian

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