Conversation

Beside roads and paths away from the city can always be found grasses and plants that have made their own way there, often settling where there seems to be little or no nourishment. We all see them, know they are there but pay little attention to them. When we look more closely the diversity and beauty of these robust little plants starts to become clear. They entwine with one another, conversing and interacting, constantly in movement.

I only started to pay attention to these grasses when searching for something to draw when travelling, almost as a last resort when nothing more interesting could be found, then realised there is a beauty and grace – not to mention diversity – in these overlooked plants. So many different varieties, each with their own characteristics, with seedheads, leaves, simple flowers, the more I looked, the more I found.

The drawing above was inspired by these roadside grasses – clearly I have not sought to reproduce them botanically, I was looking for an essence inspired by their continuous movement and the characteristic shapes, as they split for seeds to escape and move in the wind. They seem to be in constant conversation, hence the title.

The drawing is on yupo paper, base drawing done in Liquid Pencil and the main drawing in a limited palette of coloured pencils. 64 x 31 cm.