In week 6 of my Tower Gallery artist residency, I’ve been doing some giant sketches, 1.5 metres square, of brick detail, drawn in graphite, clay slip and iron.
These bring together the two parts of my residency project. In this big space, I’ve wanted to draw at the opposite of my normal small size, seeing if I can keep the fresh, loose line of my sketchbook work at scale. And I’ve been exploring the design and crafts in the building, this brickwork, which looks like edge bricks but isn’t, in rarely-seen parts of the church: the projection room that’s the residency studio and the bell tower.
I’ve also returned to some shadow tracing to make a big leporello (concertina book). The shadows from the leaded windows and railings are spectacular. And they move with astonishing speed. Time flies – and so must the paper and with it, my drawing. So that’s the story. The cover boards will be made next week and the book assembled.
The strands of my creative practice overlap so from my design life, into my project have come letterforms from the dedication plaques around the building. I’ve been brought offcuts of Portland stone and lent tools to try – so while washes of colour dry on the drawings, I’ve done this entry-level-rustic bit of letter cutting, feeling my way around the letterforms in new ways. And I’ve used up some air-dry clay by making some experimental printing blocks.
Just six weeks into a three-month residency, it’s turning out to be a fascinating thing, part research rabbit-hole, part development for my art practice. But why should exploring and experimenting in this way be of interest to my design and illustration clients? Well, my best clients and collaborators want more than technical support. They treat me as a creative partner, the depth, breadth and enquiry I bring of value in early-stage thinking.
If you’re looking for a creative partner for your project and would like a chat, get in touch.
For more drawings, head over to Instagram.
