Marshlands Conservancy, Rye, NY

I had painted a plein air watercolor of this salt marsh on coast close to where I live in NY, and wasn't completely satisfied with it. As I often do, I turned to charcoal back in my studio and was able to capture the mood of stillness I was trying to convey. To start a charcoal piece, I grind up charcoal to a fine powder, spread it over my paper and rub it in till it is the correct value. Then, using willow sticks of different widths, I build up layers of charcoal using the tips for details and the sides for broad areas.