Star Chart Series 8

Original drawing

Mixed media on black recycled card, A1

Digital manipulation:

I’ve been continuing this series of drawings that started in March as the Covid-19 lockdown began in Belfast. The process harks back to an earlier method of working, where marks are added and erased until a precarious, fragile balance is achieved. Lately I’ve felt the process becoming repetitive, the early excitement burning out. Digital manipulation or ‘remixing’ of the work presents a new avenue of possible development, extremely intricate and unexpected new configurations are possible. These may suggest organic growth, the infinite complexity inherent in nature from the structure of cells to galaxies. The next step may be to attempt to replicate these through drawing, or acquiring a plotter and learning how to program it to draw.

Star Chart Series VII

Mixed media on black recycled card

A1

Continually trying to add depth and intensity to these drawings. Composing with forms, densely worked areas need sparsity. There is a constant play of revisions; ghostly marks remain, distant remnants.

Detail:

Star Chart Series V 2020

Star Chart Series Drawing V

Mixed media on black recycled card

A1

I’m moving between composed drawings and ones where a pre-determined process determines the outcome. This style is composed; working on it felt like the way I used to approach paintings and collages, where each part would effect the whole and many revisions take place before a fragile balance is achieved.

 

 

 

Accumulated : second iteration

Accumulated’ second version. Many offset layers are added in the hope of achieving a solid, almost sculptural feel.

White pencil on black recycled card
A1

Detail of centre:

Drawing in lockdown: Night Sky III

I’m continuing this lockdown series, accumulating shapes in ordered and chaotic formations.

A0

Mixed media on black recycled card.

Detail:

Accumulated

AO

White pencil on recycled card.

Irregular forms repeated around a fixed point.

Detail:

Drawing in lockdown: Night Sky

I’m continuing to draw from our flat in these weird locked down days. Two upcoming shows have been postponed indefinitely. The act of drawing is respite from thought; labour intensive activity to become lost in. This drawing has a star chart/night sky feel, employing several techniques. It’s currently composed of four A1 sheets of black card and feels like I could keep adding further sheets to it until our entire living space is consumed.

Detail I

Detail II

Magma 2019

A0

Conté Crayon on black card.

 

 

Repeated forms in flux, Black sharpie on card, 2018.

A1 Card

Forms cluster and layer around fixed points in flux.

|Vault Artist Studios Member’s Room| >>Second Drawing >>

In September last year I was asked to create a wall drawing in the Vault Artist Studios members room. I drew this piece, a Fibunacci sequence inspired, planet like layering of regular circles in chalk. The chalk had not been sprayed with fixative, over the weeks and months parts of the drawing had been smudged and worn away as people’s presence marked the passage of time. This became a slow visual metaphor for the studio members’ transient presence in this former technical college.

Vault hosted an excellent Fringe festival on the first and second of June this year, comprising over 100 events and projects happening in the building and the car park. In preparation for this, the exterior of the building and the members room underwent a vibrant redecoration. The first drawing was covered up.

I drew a new site specific piece in a different part of the room using wax crayon:

The deep indigo background marks a break with monochrome. This drawing plays with imperfect symmetrical forms, incorporating influences from many sources including early arcade game vector graphics, sacred geometry and heavy metal logo typography.

Detail:

Here in the finished room, the drawing is surprisingly augmented with a rack holding pool cues.