Charcoal Drawings

Artists Describing Their Art:

Amanda Coakley - As an atheist I have always looked at religion from the position of an observer rather than a practitioner. When I was younger, I grew up in a predominantly religious area and had felt out of place. My friends would try to get me to join bible school, received sideways looks for purchasing the newest fantasy book series, and needless to say I didnt know the words to prayers when I joined summer camp. My family was mostly atheist and growing up, I didnt know much else. The push towards religion was something I didnt understand as a child. However despite my experiences with religion, my hope is to not denigrate religion but draw light upon the chaos of consumption. Advertisements and the rush to Black Friday events at malls feel similar to me. I havent felt the need to run out and buy the latest I-phone or I-pod, or the latest in fashion trends. Nor have I wanted to find myself in large crowds of people waiting outside malls to get a plethora of stuff at fraction of the cost. Aside from the occasional indulgence into a few well loved book series, I didnt feel like I ...

Emilio Merlina - I was born in 1950 in the North East of Italy from a polish mother and a sicilian father. I toured the world until I was 35, then I returned to Italy and picked up again my old passion painting and sculpture. As for myself, I can only say thoughts and paintings, paintings and thoughts. Everything maybe useless, however everything is life. i?1/2The human being leaves its signs, graffiti, indian dreams and imagination. Now I only have left a few more possibilities to express the colors which are not. Only the sign, scratched, angry or brushed is the witness. The sign has passed from there and there it has lived.i?1/2 Emilio Merlina Some hear if a door opens Others hear a latch which opens or closes Others more they hear the Angel when he turns over a page of the Great Book From the novel Missa Sine Nomine By Ernst Wiechert I have words which relegate my hunger And the hunger which owns my body but which do not confine them I have words which are both my confined hunger and body By the Italian poetess Paola Lovisolo ...