'A sad end' by Fiona Phipps

A meaningful image Fiona.

Very impressive, Fiona. You are right, quite sad but you honoured the memory of times gone by. Well done!

Thank you carole and Mia. I know it isn't a 'pretty' picture but I liked the industrial feel of it. Thanks for looking.

Fiona, you have depicted the mood of this long gone time of prosperity very well. The area I live in also was once the centre of the mining and steel industry. While it is nice to be able to breathe the clean air it is sad to see the loss of jobs has lead to so much hardship.

Hi Pat, thanks for your comment, the mood is what I was trying to achieve.

Very poignant Fiona, and superbly drawn. Love the effect of the charcoal smudges.

I am very partial to black on white, particularly charcoal. The problem with the fixative does not detract from the image at all. (You were probably spraying it too close/too much)

Many thanks Seok, Gudrun for taking the time to comment. You are exactly right Gudrun about spraying to close and too much, wanted to make sure the charcoal stayed PUT!! :) Thanks again.

You get 10 out of 10 from me just for being able to produce anything meaningful using charcoal! I have to be hosed down if I even touch the stuff. However, the use of charcoal is perfect for this subject and it describes the heavy industrial feel and the darkness of the pit environment really well. A sad piece, as you say.

By the time I had finished this Thea, it looked like I had just come off a twelve hour shift at the coal face!! I appreciate that you linked the use of medium to the subject.