I am interested in a compositional aesthetic of a spare, almost numerical, arrangement of objects that contrasts the haphazard splay of traditional cluttered still-life. This work contrasts the distractions of modern culture and asks the viewer to concentrate on one subject, one idea at a time. I feel I have succeeded when a drawing's pale, perfect surface elicits a liveliness and presence greater than the simplicity of its construction. My preferred medium is silverpoint drawing, a medieval technique using fine metals on prepared paper, creating a subtle, beautiful surface that changes over time.

Silverpoint is a Medieval drawing medium rarely practiced by artists today. Silverpoint technique allows the artist to design with very fine lines of pale-gray color on a suitably prepared surface. While initially a silverpoint drawing resembles a graphite drawing, a drawing in silver left open to the air will begin to tarnish after a few years and the dull gray lines will take on a warm, sepia hue.

Artists can exploit this tendency to tarnish by mixing non-ferrous metals in one drawing. While silver tarnishes to brown, gold will never tarnish, copper will lighten and turn greenish, brass will darken and turn greenish, and other metals, like tungsten, aluminum, and zinc each lend a certain patina to the drawing. Graphite can even be used to punch a warm, dark emphasis in the pale silverpoint field.

The paper must first be coated with a slightly abrasive paint, and allowed to dry hard before the metal will rub off onto the drawing. This ground, made of gesso, gouache, or casein can often be tinted to produce subtle contrasts with the silver lines. The support for the abrasive paint can be almost anything: paper, wood, mylar, canvas, and parchment have all been used.

Silverpoint has several drawbacks which may have hindered its continual use in the half millenium since the Renaissance: it is a medium geared to careful description rather than overt expression; the drawings tend to be subtle and intimate. Building up a dark, even gradation takes time and patience, and even then, it takes great control to create contrast in the finished work. Also, once applied, the silver line cannot be erased without disturbing the surface and preventing the perfect adhesion of new lines.

My preferred materials and techniques haven't changed much in the fifteen years since I learned silverpoint from my drawing professor, Chuck Schmidt, at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. I use Arches Hot Press 140lb. watercolor paper, and a simple silver stylus made from fine silver jewler's solder held in a mechanical lead holder. For a ground, I use Plaka white casein thinned with water to the consistency of light cream, and I tint the liquid ground with Winsor & Newton watercolor.

An excellent source for information about silverpoint, as well as links to other artists and resources can be found at SilverpointWeb.com.