It is the last day of our PaperFields exhibition today. We’ve been getting great responses from visitors.
I got home late on friday and had taken up the opportunity to talk at the Hereford College of Art Drawing Symposium, so preparation for that was needed over the weekend and the event was this Monday. The other speakers – Dr Natasha Mayo from Cardiff School of Art and Design, and Amelia Johnstone were fascinating.
Natasha had some great quote’s from the book ‘Bento’s Sketchbook’ by John Berger and I am still thinking about her project
Details of the project are on that website, but basically artists who have children draw in a sketchbook together while talking. Each artist and child project is slightly different. Some (esp with older children) don’t necessarily draw and talk together but use it as a conduit, exchange abstract thoughts and idea’s through the sketchbook quite fluidly. This has an effect on the relationship that allows thoughts to surface that wouldn’t be possible to grasp otherwise. While I am drawing or doing intuitive painting/etching I have a notebook nearby and write down what comes to the surface while I’m drawing. When I ask my own son ‘how was your day?’ and get ‘fine.’ it’s not telling anything. Yet when I say ‘just doodle / draw /write here’ things begin to come out. My own way is to allow words if needed, to me drawing and writing are so close. Going between each with ease is a good place to be.
I’d highly recommend looking into Natasha’s work if any of this lights up your eyes.
I’ve had a lot of drawing input lately. On the day we arrived in London (last Monday) and just about had time to unload the van and place the work around the gallery (R. K. Burt in Union St, Southwark). Get back to YHA and find room, then leg it to the Jerwood Space to hear Paul Thomas, Anita Taylor and Charlotte Hodes (JDP winner 2005/6) talk in Jerwood Drawing Prize 2014 Perspectives: Artist, Selector, Director. They were discussing if it is worth continuing the drawing prize – is there more left to achieve for drawing?
My own thoughts on this are -yes! – there’s more to achieve for the drawing prize.. Maybe an interesting way to select the exhibitors would be to pick entry numbers out of a hat and then it would show the diversity and range of drawing going on. (The quality would be highly variable, so whether this is beneficial to the JDP is another matter!)
To me drawing is not about any one specific thing.. it’s many things…it’s about seeing something or a search for something. It’s about a unique, distinctive voice.
Anita mentioned that some drawings gets richer over time. They were talking about types of drawing through years and different artists getting richer and I want to understand that further.
The outside A-Board signage – main ART sign by Kate Morgan Clare (we reckoned to the point as by the time people see that they need know no more!) and Jack’s drawings turned into cone shapes varnished and stapled on by myself has now led on to a new seam of work for me. I’m limiting the shape – I’m working on a circle and drawing / printing / painting regularly. First one is pictured.
