And so to the drawings…
I’ve finished reading ‘Lines’ by Tim Ingold, and still occasionally dipping in here and there. It’s been a useful text. The lines that connect people, seen and unseen, are interesting. The lines inside people too. Written, sung, waved and drawn… As I stretch across my drawing table with my pen, metaphors abound. Especially since rekindling my love for the scritchy scratchy dippy ink pens. The dipping in, recharging, and running out of fuel… the occasional drip or blot or catch in the paper that causes a spatter.
I have a piece on the go at the moment that I am regarding as a sort of exercise in line-making. I’m trying all sorts of nibs, different inks, a range of dilutions. A small amount of colour. A brown smudge that I really don’t like, but that I may come to love, as it takes the niceness away. God forbid I should end up with something too pretty!
It is my intention to try out all the nibs I have, so this is almost like a sampler of lines. A full table full of try-outs and successes and failures. I may need some different paper for using the nibs rather than the brushes and modern ink pens that are smooth and deliver the ink evenly…
While I’m drawing I’m recording the sounds of the paper and nibs. Or I’m listening to what I’ve recorded, or to the elements of songs that are starting to come together… feeding back in…
I don’t know what the work will look like this time next year… but I have plenty of time to play and develop and produce…
The trick is not to worry about it, or even think about it at the moment. When I get there I will definitely have some work. So I will show/perform/play whatever there is!
