I could tell you that in week 7 of my artist residency at Tower Gallery in East London, in my project Reading the building, I’ve been developing some work: printing from the clay blocks I made last week; making covers for my leporello of shadow tracings; drawing another panorama; sketches of architectural details; studies of joinery and more drawings on wallpaper samples.
If all you need is the top line – well, lines – there you go. But if you want the properly interesting stuff, read on...
I’ve wandered the tower placing my cover boards under shadows, cropping the light. For the durability covers need, from my stash of building and decoration-related materials I’ve traced in builders’ wax and coloured with emulsion matchpot.
Printing from my blocks in the heat, emulsion paint has dried before it hit the paper so I’ve switched to printing ink. Then, my printmaking picked up for a mentoring session, its playfulness has found its way back to me, paint rolled under and over the letterforms, bringing them to life.
The residency studio has such a view from its half moon window that it’s easy to overwork a drawing. So to stop that happening, I’ve turned it into something else. A concertina has shifted my thinking into sketchbook mode.
With no idea how they would behave, I've drawn on veneer samples, letting their grain and texture guide lines and tones.
I’ve sketched outside: details of the building I’ve missed. Each has had something to show me. And I've been reminded that when I draw in public, I belong to everyone. People have brought me greetings, a story and an invitation to see the views from the roof of the boxing gym next door.
What all of this has in common is an open-minded process.
And that has particular value for clients and collaborators whose own processes are exploratory, creative or both.
For more pictures from my residency, head over to Instagram.
