White Garden, graphite on Arches watercolor paper, 30 x 23.
This bench in my garden is one that I have passed by many times without taking much notice. One winter, however, I became interested to the point of obsession with the tapestry created by a layer of freshly fallen snow. I drew many studies hastily, but nearly frozen fingers finally persuaded me to supplement my observations with photographs. Even so, the life drawings and the view of the garden from my studio window proved the primary means to accomplishing the end result. I was especially intent on conveying three-dimensional qualities and expressive surface textures, both of which defied translation by the camera. I chose the watercolor paper specifically for its rough surface that was so sympathetic to the subject at hand.
Featured in March 2012.