Santiago Díaz Escamilla

Ciclos
Cycles

2012

Charcoal and graphite on paper; needle incisions and punctures

I turn off the light and rest the tip of a needle on the paper. From that moment on, I draw, seeing nothing but darkness and guided by what my fingers feel. The needle leaves a fine furrow, a trail, and when I keep pressing, it pierces the sheet. Sometimes I do the same with the light on, but even then it is hard for me to follow the lines.

Some sheets remain marked only by incisions and punctures. On others, I rub charcoal or graphite, or scrape charcoal and let the dust fall, and some of the grooves darken.

With graphite, it is different. Even when I press hard, it often does not reach the bottom of the grooves, which stay white, surrounded by the shiny gray of the pencil.

When I look at these strokes, I recognize the movement of my hand. At what point, then, did this drawing begin?