I seek out black and white to find a new level of subtlety and purity in my paintings. Returning to the most basic color palette is a reset button I press to revisit the essential aspects of my art, a re-investigation which started with painting but which has cross-pollinated my drawing and collage work as well. More focus is placed on the movement of line and the composition. There’s also greater opportunity to exploit the nuances of shading and texture.
When a line or shape of additional color does appear, the presence is more impactful. However, the intention is to choose colors which maintain the overall feeling of black and white or color desaturation. Color choice and placement is given a great deal of consideration. I use different types of black and white paint to provide a particular luminosity. Many of the pieces on canvas or paper were initially started with a wash of a warm earth tone to provide an inner light that could be retained as the black and white tones were explored.