This series of carbon and graphite paintings draws inspiration from the artistic teachings and endeavors of both sides of my family.

The title “Blackwork,” itself, refers to a lovely form of embroidery using black thread on a white ground to great, dramatic effect.  Although I can’t think of any particular example of Blackwork among the generations of embroiderers and crocheters on my mother’s side of the family, the delicate and precise lines the graphite creates reminds me of their thread traceries.

Black and white photography provides the other creative input for these pieces.  Hours spent with my father in his darkroom (following the footsteps of my grandfather, a newspaper photographer from the 1930’s) have given me a delight in the possibilities of monochromatic interpretation.  Form and value take on new and exciting meaning when freed from the distraction of color.

Adding further depth to the associations, the “Easter” subset of “Blackwork” addresses the way the broader, human family searches for meaning in our world.  The linking of certain plants with the deeper mystery of faith turns each individual observer into the connecting thread between the earthly infinitesimal and the transcendent divine.