Snake River

Professionally framed drawing. I trace the lines of the scales of the river snake. We used to find her in the yard behind the house, by the river. Now you can find her name with the growing list of endangered species. I took some of the leftover ink from the print shop, determined to make something, but afraid of using anything. Every material I use leaves a mark, it doesn’t just go away. It seeps out into the waterways, until the snakes cannot live in the dirty water. I roll out the mystery intaglio ink on glass and lay the paper over it, copying the lines of the snake scales, following them with the tip of a pen as if they were a river way. I enlarge the trace monotype on the photocopier and trace the lines again, the river becomes more intricate, the tributaries; more complex.