Drawing Artist Statement
These drawings are from my observations and journey (both physical and metaphysical) around Sydney’s urban environment.
This year I experimented with new materials and subject matter. I began working with black pen, watercolour and oil pastel. I spend a lot of time scouting for a suitable location to draw. Then I walk around and look at various compositional possibilities. Once I have settled on a composition I then consider the pallet. The urban subjects include large areas of concrete, so I keep my city drawings tonal and grey subduing colour. For works in colour, I choose a pallet from my colour oil pastels, that can adequately convey the subject with limited colours that work well together.
Working outside, in the landscape helped me to see and think about the picture plane in a new more complex way. I experimented with composition and really enjoyed the freedom of working plein air.
My compositions in Semester 1 felt more open. I began working in my sketchbook at a very small scale. I found the intimacy of this small format very enjoyable and I became more sensitive to details. Then I shifted to working on individual sheets of paper. The size I am now comfortable working at is between A4 and A3 in size.
During the lockdown my work moved back into the sketchbook, which was a time of introspection and a retreat into the realms of my thoughts and emotions. Since then, although I have moved back out of the sketchbook, I have noticed that the character of my work has changed. The compositions are more closed. The urban subject matter tends to be of awkward architectural spaces. There is a sense of alienation in my work. The landscapes are devoid of people and the awkward feeling in them is a reflection of my psychological state.
Charles Cooper and Joe Frost have introduced me to a number of artists that have helped to show me new ways of seeing in my work. Early in semester 1 I found myself drawn to landscapes by Roy Jackson and David Hockney. Then I transcribed a Lloyd Rees, which now informs how I use warm and cool tones with a limited pallet. From there I made a drawing in the style of Henry Moore. Since then, I was introduced to the work of Edward Hopper and realised that there is a connection with his work in composition and my feelings of alienation.
