Charcoal is unforgiving.
It arrives as dust & asks for certainty.
There is no colour to hide behind,
no excess to soften a decision.
Only pressure, restraint & intent.
In a matter of hours, dust becomes presence.
Form emerges, not through correction,
but through commitment.
Charcoal records every choice.
It remembers hesitation and rewards clarity.
It is the medium that tells the truth &
it demands that I do the same.
ABOUT
Johannesburg based.
Large format black & white realism.
All works are created by Sarika Purchase.
Executed entirely by hand using charcoal and paper.
PRACTICE
Charcoal works developed between 2022 and 2025.
Focused on scale, control, and precision.
Pushing charcoal beyond conventional format limitations.
DISCIPLINE
The practice spans three distinct bodies of work.
Each is developed independently.
This division inherently limits output across all channels.
As a result, works remain scarce by nature.
RECOGNITION
Wildlife Artist of the Year, 2025.
FOUNDER OF ART OF STORY
A Division of Art of Story.
Website: www.artofstory.co.za