I’m doing quite well at the moment keeping up the flow of work in one way or another. Today, however, I did make a discovery about my work practice that could be useful to investigate further.
Recently I have been doing a series of drawings in which I’m exploring the forms and texture of rocks, bringing out their somewhat anthropomorphic features. These are just exercises, really, and a way of exploring the use of a medium with which I’m not terribly familiar (compressed charcoal.) Today’s piece, however, I found rather disappointing, and after dinner tonight I spent a little time looking at it, and wondering how I might explain the evident difference between this piece and others in the series. Then an idea struck me.
Today’s work was done seated, and using a table easel: all the others were made standing at the studio easel. The latter means that I can stand back from the work and look at it as it develops, but I think that it probably also means that my arm is far more free to move, and the drawing has a much more gestural quality. Certainly the results convey a far greater energy. I think that is an idea I really must explore further.