Some new drawings

Time has been slipping past, travel, exhibitions and many other small necessities of life have distracted me from posting recent drawings, so here are several completed over the last few months.

The drawing above I have called ‘Blow’, to me it has a carefree sense of the flowers being blown by a gentle summer breeze. I began it before I went on an eight week trip up to the top of the Northern Territory and was so glad to have it to return to, rather than beginning something new. A friend once told me she never completed a painting at the end of a day, or if she did then she would have another just beginning, ready to work on next day. I have found this a very useful piece of advice – there is something quite daunting about beginning cold on a new piece. Now I always start to prepare something new before I finish the ongoing work. This also gives me the freedom to sometimes not finish one piece if I have questions about it, it can be put aside for contemplation.

This drawing is a prime example of one that was set aside for thinking about. Started probably a year ago, it was monochrome, with a bit of red pencil enhancing some of the marks, but it never felt quite ‘done’. So I decided to make or break it by adding more colour and form, linking some of the separate pieces and now it feels to me to be full of joy. I have called it ‘Circus’.

The above drawing was completed before I went away and I am still feeling ambivalent about it. ‘Circus’ is fully abstract, no reference point, although there are still hints of small creatures or objects in it. This one, ‘Pods’, is much more literal, even though it is abstracted in technique. Maybe this is one to sit with for a while!

This drawing, ‘Dispersion’ was completed earlier this year, and a few weeks ago was entered into an art prize, the Ewart Prize. Luckily it was selected (more than half of the entrants were not) and to my astonishment and utter delight it won the Best in Show overall prize!

The judge’s comment was: ‘A masterful, biomorphic drawing using various media. This semi abstracted drawing shows a great sensibility and sensitivity to nature in all its forms.’

And the icing on the cake was that it also sold!

All the above drawings were done on yupo paper using a Liquid Pencil base drawing and worked into with coloured pencils. All are the same size, 64 x 47 cm.

(I have recently updated the static pages of this website, so if you would like to see more drawings click on Recent Drawings, or to see any other artworks click on the links at the top of this page.)

Unknown's avatar

Author: anna warren portfolio

I draw, I paint, I am a printmaker. Always searching for the interesting detail in the world around me.

20 thoughts

  1. I am homing in on “Circus” as to me it is a masterpiece. ‘Sublime’ is the word that comes to me. As I view it I feel a sense of fulfillment and also calm. What is it that evokes this reaction, I’m not sure? The way the marks are arranged on the page? It just seems to evoke in me that all is well, all is as it should be. It would be a beautiful piece to have on a bedroom wall, so that before going to sleep and when waking up one would feel optimistic about life. You know, Matisse’s dancing figures come to mind. This drawing dances.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. What a lovely response! I’m so glad you feel that way, I have a visceral reaction to this one too, but it is hard to put into words – thank you for doing just that! Oddly, it’s not one I have been planning to exhibit, but if the right exhibition comes up I will.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment