Dave Middleton, Charcoal Drawings
Dec 2009 to Jan 2009, Downtown Kalamazoo
Artist Statement
Our world of light defined by edges coming and going, soft and hard, beckons.
Along canopy roofed trails to waterways surrounded by conifer forests or walled cityscapes, I walk.
Images I see as light, filtered by the canopy or brilliant, through empty spaces along street corners, compel me to draw. Pencil in hand, my eyes begin to see the graceful flow of the forest masses, of leaves, of trunks, rock walls and manufactured structures and all the spaces between.
More than becoming part of this world, the individual parts lose their separated identity and a drawing begins.
These outings most often end as studies for studio works in charcoal, graphite or ink. Photographs taken become references even if the scene I draw is not exactly what I sketched in the field, the feeling of the place remains.
Throughout my adult years, I frequently sketch for fun, copying images and photographs, but I let research in the pharmaceutical sciences supply basic living needs. I was always searching for the “place” that would give my life meaning. Not long ago I found that drawing in charcoal, graphite and ink clarified the vision my life needed. Retirement has allowed me to focus entirely on drawing. I don’t know where this will lead, but plan on an exciting ride.
More of my artwork can be seen at www. helensarthouse.com within the artist’s gallery pages. I may be contacted at either davesart01@yahoo.com or (269) 569-1969.
