This piece is not a photo or done with a pencil or paint. It is scratchboard, one of the most difficult art mediums. It originated in 19th century Europe and was used for book illustration. The scratchboard panel is made with a special clay layer and coated with black ink. Using a scalpel and x-acto knife, I made hundreds of dots by tapping the tip of the blade on the ink. These scratches revealed the white clay and formed the image.
I used a little water and diluted ink to create some tone differences. I finished the piece by spraying a museum archival quality clear varnish to protect the work. Since I'm working with very small details, I use a magnifier on all my pieces to enable me to get the best possible view of the scratching surface. This is a very time-consuming process. I worked about 150 hours on an off over several days to complete the project. This is among my favorite pieces in my collection. I framed this beautiful scratchboard in a black frame with a white mat.
Mother Teresa was an amazing humanitarian. She devoted her life to helping those who were tossed aside by society. I thought it was important to capture her memory in a portrait.