What the Wind Carried Past Her

The bone-bead choker and shell disc earring anchor this portrait in a specific time and material culture, drawn with the same care I gave to her face. Her gaze drifts past the edge of the page, toward something outside the frame entirely, and that small refusal to look back is what gives the piece its weight. The toned paper does real work here, letting the charcoal build form from mid-tone outward rather than starting from white, which is part of why the skin and hair carry the softness they do.