Mother and Child

I love the feel of graphite pencils in my hand.  The smell of them takes me back to my childhood and the sheer joy of mark making.  The tactile way they glide over the surface of my paper, meeting resistance with the vellum texture of my Bristol board.  With stumps I blend my masses now, where once I used little fingers for this job.  I have quite a selection of pencils and tools, but I only use the 8B.  I love the softness, and rarely choose another.  The pink eraser from childhood is still my favorite, those other fancy ones are just not for me.  I really love spending time with my old friend graphite, especially when a mother's love is my subject!  Painting number 2719 in 2719 days.