GRAPHITE – originating from the  greek word to draw / to write, represents the origin of things – the beginning of a preliminary sketch to nearly any work of art. Graphite articulates the onset, right now – starting out, sketching paths, but journeying into something thought-provoking. It is the basic medium, but yet it also sparks ideas whenever confronted with a blank surface. Whether so dark as almost to black, or lightly articulated, graphite encompasses the gradation of tone in a way that translates to how we see the material in our journal – touching upon the often dense problems that art can present, but also the capacity of arts lightness and levity.