I’m drawn to faces and figures: the small decisions of light, line, and expression that make someone recognizable as themselves. I work in graphite, charcoal, oil paint, gouache, watercolor, and ink. I studied privately with artist John Wellington for about two years and continue to draw from life at figure drawing sessions. I like changing materials because each one makes me look at and solve problems differently.
I believe everyone can draw. That doesn’t mean everyone’s drawing will look the same, and it shouldn’t.
When I volunteered as an elementary-school art teacher, I showed students how to use pencils and charcoal, build a value scale, create gradients, and compose a picture. One of my favorite exercises starts by covering a sheet of paper in charcoal. Then we use an eraser to draw by taking the charcoal away. It gives a child who says “I can’t draw” a completely different way to begin.
Teaching a group means paying attention: asking questions, noticing when someone is lost or frustrated, and finding another way into the idea. Art gives children more ways to see, imagine, communicate, and connect. I want them to experience the pleasure of making something, including the messy part where they haven’t figured it out yet.