As is so often my habit, this drawing was started well over a year ago, then put aside when I got to a point where I lost faith in its direction. Pulling it out of the drawer a month or so ago, suddenly I could see how I wanted to continue with it – reducing the intensity of some areas, adding more contrast in others and developing the lower flowers using a more delicate, paler palette.
It is large, 94 x 64 cm, so quite unwieldy to manage. I can’t develop the whole piece in one go, it has to be incremental, which probably also added to my discomfort with it. I hold it still on my drawing table (which is on a 45º slope) with magnets, which are attached to a steel rule across the top edge of the drawing board, then I can move it up and down without marking the surface.
The title, Hawkflower, came from a comment a friend made when I showed part of the drawing on Instagram – she mentioned the number of hawks she could see in it. I had been aware there were bird forms appearing, but till then hadn’t realised how many and how obvious they were!
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With its beaks, talons and sharp edges, this is a plant one wouldn’t want to stumble into on a dark night. It gives me an idea for an Anna Warren series, “Post-Apocalyptic Plants”. I imagine the sheer size of this artwork adds to its powerful energy.
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