Experimental charcoal drawings are exercises designed to elicit an artist's "authentic mark." They are often done blindfolded or with the non-dominant hand. Sometimes they are drawn with a piece of soft thick charcoal in each hand, working behind your back. The artist may mist the paper with a fine spray of water to make the charcoal bleed and run. Another strategy is to drizzle fine strings of paper cement on the empty paper, using the cement as a "resist" that the charcoal won't stick to. Most of the drawings are done while listening to instrumental music. All these strategies are designed to disable the logical brain's tendency to overthink the creative process. By rendering the brain unable to control the process, the artist is free to create marks spontaneously from a place of deep inner wisdom.
When I was first introduced to the practice of experimental mark-making in an Experimental Drawing and Painting workshop led by artist Peggy Zehring, I was totally unimpressed. I hated the mess, I hated the product, and I just didn't see the point. In fact, I hated that part of Peggy's workshop for three consecutive years. And then in the fourth year, the light bulb went off. I saw such energy and power in these simple compositions that I wanted to skip the days of painting that followed. I was afraid that none of my paintings would express the deep raw power and wisdom of the drawings.
