My pencils are layers, endless streams of color that can be sculpted, pulling a subject from the darkness within the black paper I have come to see as an abyss of possibilities, rather than a stark blank canvas. A darkness that is welcoming with an overwhelming call for what is to come into materialization, using light to build a rich cerulean rather than stifling a brightness that is already pristine. The black offers an alternative that feels more genuine, and tangible.