The Waterloo Drawings

Over summer 2021 I decided to do a sketch a day without concern for outcomes or making a 'finished' image. In fact each day I deliberately tried to make something that failed. It was a chance to play with the visual vocabulary I'm building and exercises to loosen up. I made over 60 experimental drawings using mixed media.

Sketchbooks Extended Play (Art21)

https://art21.org

In a video I watched artist Tala Madani talks about how her sketches differ from her paintings. She says "...sketches are the most immediate of the thinking process... they lead to the future works... they are a great way of keeping track of your ideas... catch them when ideas are flowing... painting is different because of its materiality. It's not that its ever about paint, its about how do you use the material to help you communicate the idea clearer. It's really about this idea. This is paint speaking to you. I love the idea that the painting itself has a life. It's about transference of energy, I think. There's a 17th century idea that paintings have souls. They were given souls by demons or angels and demons were not necessarily a bad collaborator to have. If anyone is interested in a painter you just have to follow the brushstrokes. You're seeing the action of the hand, but also the action of the thoughts in following the brushstroke."

A selection of the drawings I made are below. They were made using gouache, acrylic, water-colours, charcoal, pencil and pastels.