Ode to the world of Graffiti and Arte Povera Movement:
What's a Throw-Up? It's my favourite form of Graffiti (quick and dirty), "Throw-up is a style of graffiti that is characterized by quickly painted letters and shapes that are usually executed in one or two colors. The name "throw up" refers to the quick and spontaneous nature of the style, as the artist "throws up" the letters and shapes in a short amount of time."
https://www.grafftergallery.com/2012/07/ayre-throwup-2009-location-unknown.html
And a Throwdown because the challenge is on, in so many ways these days!

This series of works were painted in one day but had been fermenting in my mind for weeks. I am experimenting with various charcoaled materials which give very different shades of blacks and greys. I was telling my nephew about my practice and he said " You are actually making all your materials! You are going backwards" and then I thought Yes, going  backwards is the only way to go.

De-carbonizing my art practice has led me to explore the idea and logistics of making my own paper. All this ink, paint, and casting materials being made from my own charcoal making has led me to consider the surface I am using to make my marks on. Up until now, my Mulberry paper rolls got shipped all the way across the Pacific Ocean from China. No more. After my stocks of Mulberry paper are depleted, I will use only the paper I make in my own studio. Starting with my neighbours lawn mower clippings and now the highway median cut grasses which are coarser and varied in species than home grown lawn clippings. This leads to so many possible outcomes in thickness and quality of materials. There is so much to learn! And there are so many natural resources all around me to do it with.