Last winter I decided to begin a new rhythm, a daily ritual, and do a drawing in the early mornings with my first cup of coffee to hand – a touchstone for the day ahead. Sometimes a little walk around the garden first, sometimes an image caught beforehand.I have divided each of my sketchbook pages into 4 so I can repeat a drawing. Timewise it could be a very few moments whilst drinking that first coffee, or longer.I stayed with this and it has been transformative for me.
Sweet peas, grown from seed started in the depths of the dark new year.An abundance of flowering, richly coloured – so many to gather and bring inside and to give away as little gift offerings – the fragrance never failing to raise a smile.Giving again and again.. I dried petals, I painted petals as I watched them fade, and a glimmer of an idea developed.
This week an informal artist residency at Walcot Chapel in Bath.And somehow over the weeks and months I have a body of work!
Drawing and drawing attention to small things from nature has helped me to look more closely, to observe more attentively.I have been printmaking – mono prints this time and my focus has been presence and absence with a ghost print following each drawn print. I love how mono print has followed as a natural progression from the daily drawing and have made my first attempts at larger scale drawn prints
susibancroft 