Okay here is the story behind this piece...

I was looking through photography books for the next drawing I wanted to do. I decided to experiment with pencil on Bristol board since I have seen a lot of beautiful art done in this medium. So I figured I would give it a try, since it seemed I could get more detail with pencils them with charcoal.

I found this in a photography book about Boston. When I saw it I stopped dead, and knew I had to draw it. It was just beautiful. I knew exactly what I was looking at, I just understood it right away.

So I started around thanks giving and worked on it until march. I just went on and off on it, knowing that I wanted to complete it, but just didn’t have the heart. But a day in march I just felt the need to complete it, so I could have it. It was also my first time drawing wood and water.

It is done off of Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s beautiful “Self-Portrait Narragansett Rhode Island 1973” THE IDEA IS NOT MY OWN (but the drawing is)

Though I feel I could never do this photograph justice, I still love the out come. PLEASE FULL VIEW.

I got the title from something that the artist stated on his website, that I believe is absolutley true:
"we had to know what it was we did not want to do, what it was we would never allow ourselves to do."

Various graphite pencils, charcoal, and black pastel pencil on Bristol board.
(again this is a photograph of the original so please excuse the low quality. The dark line at the top left hand corner is a bit of the frame I put around it, I couldn't quite crop it out)