When I was young I liked to collect crystals.
I was never too interested in their names, their properties, never sought to get one of every kind or display them proudly on my bookshelf. I kept them in my pockets, and took them out occasionally to admire the way the light reflects and refracts through the stone. Holding them up to the sun, and pressing my eyes so close that I became immersed in the coloured crystal world.
Firenze holds a spectacular crystal exhibition at the Specola Museum, and while it seems futile to try to capture the crystals aura and presence in a quick sketch, I can but make a few quick gestures and marks in honour of these little (and sometimes quite large) natural phenomena’s.
The introduction of colour into my work (pre-Firenze I drew only in mono- toned mono-print) seems to be leading me in quite a painterly direction? After four years of a Painting course is it finally time to take up the challenge of paint? Doubtful, I don’t think I’ve convinced myself of it yet. But what I am sure of is that these abstracted shapes, scribbles and smudges of colour are forming an important reference point for future work, wether that be a painting, a sculpture or something else.
These loose gestures that I’m filling my sketchbooks with are the start of something. Something I am going to delight in exploring when I return to British soil.
