I've recently been looking back at photographs on my phone from the pandemic, specifically the first year 2020 - 2021. A story unfolds, first in the general absence of photos and then a rhythm begins, of spring flowers and bees that gave fleeting moments of comfort in the park, interspersed with the results of activities designed to try and entertain my son; painted t-shirts, dens, the odd bit of schoolwork. Things made and posted to me from remote workshops weave amongst this. From time-to-time photographs documenting the progress of a single drawing appear, a drawing gradually being added to in stolen hours, over a year. The fragility and dogged persistence of this drawing sums up much about this time for me.
This drawing went on to be exhibited at the Air Open Exhibition at Air Gallery, Manchester in 2021 where it won the visitors choice award. It was then shown in the group drawing exhibition 'Drawn In' at The Turnpike Gallery Leigh in 2022.
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| Untitled B&W, ink on tissue paper, 2020-2021 |
Exhibition Label - Air Open
I am interested in exploring drawing in relation to different mental states. The fragile of the paper I use, And the delicate ink lines applied over many hours, are important because I see our minds as a kind of internal landscape, that constantly holds a tension between strength and vulnerability. As I apply the marks to my drawings, I am working towards a sense of something descending, rising, or closing in, I often feel that the surface could drown in the marks, or tear at any moment, but it never does. In the delicacy of applying those marks, there is also a sense of healing.
I started this drawing in April 2020 and continued working on it until its completion a year later.
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| Photo Air Gallery |
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| Photo Turnpike Gallery |
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