some reflecting thoughts -

In the beginning -

 This is an opening declaration of fellow ink artists to elevating pen and ink works to the appreciation of fine art... to begin, here is an example - "Mother Lode", 32"x40" -

 One of the things which I hope to see here is taking an old art form, ink, and elevating it to more than mere sketches and even drawings, which in general are means to ends - and instead have the ink works be as ends in themselves, Fine Art in other words, finished works that stand on their own... to a degree, this was accomplished near the end of the 19th century as illustrators began flourishing and works by such artists as Howard Pyle, Franklin Booth and Joseph Clement Coll plied their expertise and imagination - but there is a difference between illustration and fine art, similar as they may be, namely that illustrating is a means to the end of showing visualizations of particular tales in such as books or magazines, not, as Fine Art per se... however, by the same score, many of what passes as Fine Art also in effect illustrated - myths, portraits, visual recordings of areas, animals, objects and so forth... so the line is blurred, in part because little attention had been paid to seeking to understand the nature of Fine Art and why it differs from pre-photographic recordings, or propaganda posters, or decorative art - especially this latter... hopefully, in time, a collection of these Fine Art renderings can be gathered and exhibited and in their viewing help establish the high quality of composition, inventiveness, and skill that goes into their creations - and as such be seen for the Fine Art works they really are...

 Just so there is no mistaking, here is an example of colored ink fine art - "Opening Ritual, Second Cup", 20"x30" ["Opening Ritual" is the same only in b/w]

 While pen and ink, of course, has been around for untold centuries, it wasn't until the late nineteenth century that modern developments brought forth possibilities in printing illustrations which allowed full range of the modern pen's possibilities... the first one who was able to utilize this was Vierge, who brought, as consequence, an elevation to the art of being a pen and ink artist far beyond what had been done previously...

Note his mannerism of extending emphasis, details setting emotions, and high drama - all made possible by the advancement of technology to allow the printing of such intricateness... 

 One has to realize that before the 'golden age' of pen and ink illustration, ink renderings were in general considered as sketches for further or finished works in oils... it wasn't until the advent of being able to illustrate in the manner first shown by Vierge that the possibility of pen and ink as Fine Art could arise - principally because only then could the value of inducing all the shades and drama of other's paintings [when first was considered], then quickly one's own in terms of value work, was seen as something most suited to the black and white of ink...

WHY PEN AND INK...
I can only speak for myself, but the appeal of the ink is its finality - one has to, in general, know what one is doing when applying the ink, for ink is rather unforgiving - if you make a mistake, it has consequences... secondly, there is an appeal to the 'either/or' of the black and white - and the fun of seeing how much variety one can render out of those extremes [am speaking here, of course, with the basic black ink on white surface - colored paper and/or colored inks merely add more dimension to this]... in no ways am suggesting that stippling is the only, let alone the preferred, way of rendering - far better, actually, to combine as needs require whatever techniques fulfill the requisite need, as long as all fits in harmonious relationship [something sometimes overlooked in the quest for diversity]... too, there is an element yet in this day and age where pen and ink, especially if dramatically rendered, and even more so if rendered large, gives an elegance and grace to a wall, especially if framed in simplicity, that often is lacking in 'regular' paintings...