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Ash, chalk, charcoal, soot

Ash, chalk, charcoal and soot were the basis of the work of four artists of the group vierhochvier. What first seems somber and sad, turns out to be surprisingly versatile, sometimes even shiny. The limitation to a seemingly colorless and boring palette gave way to the discovery of the facets and nuances that arise between the bright white of the chalk and the deep black of the coal dust. Among these there is a wide variety of shades of ash, according to the materials we burned in our stoves: for example, elderwood, beech, cherry, and the fence of our neighbor that surprised me with ash of an unexpected green color. Thus I discovered that ash is not always gray and coal and soot are not always black. These materials show subtle nuances, the delicate transitions from white to gray and from gray to brown and black, with the transparency of innumerable layers of material that give depth to the image.