The Carbon Series
The following drawings, called the Carbon Series, revolve around the subject of coal. I use different visual and conceptual approaches to explore the corporeal qualities of coal. In examining pieces of coal through the act of drawing, I hope to heighten my awareness and knowledge of this fossil fuel. In the drawings, I use the black, dirty quality of artist charcoal as my medium to capture the physical and material characteristics of coal. I am interested in how coal itself has no positive or negative attributes, but through our history and current politics, coal becomes a loaded divisive symbol. In these drawings, I aim to honor the power that coal has contributed in creating our modern world and equally convey the dark side of coal and the environmental cost we must bear.
