This one was a bit different.

I love experimenting. It was my first time using charcoal as a primary material, and I ended up mixing my own texture paste from wood ashes and gesso. 

The mix worked out surprisingly well, resulting in raw, organic textures. 

I used the materials in a few different ways—just testing, layering, seeing what would happen. I made a kind of charcoal wash for the first layer and used a charcoal stick for mark-making and subtle colour. I also mixed charcoal powder into acrylic paint, and even sprinkled some of it on top of wet paint for a dusty, textured effect.

The result was raw and organic, with a lot of unpredictability in the textures—exactly what I was hoping for. The original piece as well as canvas prints are available.

Coolest part? I got all the materials from our own fireplace.