Charcoal and pastel

This is the second rendition of a piece I developed earlier this year, titled “What Time Takes Away.” The face in the middle, that I developed with soft charcoal while trying to maintain completely clear untouched spots, belongs to a good friend of mine. Although she was very important to me, the memory I have of her is obstructed. The vegetation, which was developed over many layers of soft and compressed charcoal as well as white pastel, covers parts of her face — left to be seen only as an interpretation: a specific look, a bite of the lip, a raised brow. Not the complete picture.