Slate Crossing

Hundreds of fine black ink strokes, combed tight like wood grain or brushed hair, fill a set of overlapping patches. Each patch runs at its own angle, so the grain turns and collides where the shapes meet. The brightest panel sits in the centre, nearly white between its lines. A slate blue band enters from the lower left and drifts down toward the bottom edge, the only colour in an otherwise grey and black field.

Charcoal, ash grey and a single cool slate blue keep the palette quiet. The tall format stacks the patches like a loose column, and the eye zigzags from block to block as the grain changes direction. At 9 × 18 in every stroke reads on its own. It sits well with linen, raw timber and black metal.