It took several weeks to get to a finishing point on this piece. There were many moments when it felt like a lost cause but I kept at. At one point I was ready to cut it up into smaller components but that's my earlier way of managing a bigger work, so I resisted the impulse, luckliy!
One thing I'm finding is how much I love working with pastels. They work beautifully for expressing layers, especially when I rub them in. I find that with the rubbing or gesture, earlier strokes like lines of graphite come through beautifully. It's so visceral to do it directly with my hands too.