Drawing: Spirit Stone 7 by James Edward Scherbarth

Long, dark and scratched all over, like a stone that has been handled for years.

Drawing: Spirit Stone 7 is a hand colored graphite and pencil drawing on paper by James Edward Scherbarth (1949-2021), dated 2020 and signed and dated en verso. Graphite can be pressed and burnished until it shines almost like metal, which suits a subject as dense as stone. This one is an elongated oval in deep charcoal gray, crossed by fine pale scratches and scribbles. It rests on a torn rectangle of browned paper, its edges ragged and flaking at one corner. A white mat and a dark, silver-edged frame keep it company. Framed, it is 15 inches wide and 18.5 high.

Heavy-looking, for something made of pencil.