My current exhibition at the Harbour Arts Centre here in Irvine, ends on Friday January 9th and as you probably know, it has been an exhibition of paintings along with the creation of a new large graphite drawing.
It has been a very enjoyable time working in the gallery amidst the exhibition and it has been great hearing people’s comments and remarks as they have watched the drawing develop from a huge blank piece of paper, through apparently random scribbled marks and slowly into a recognisable landscape.
One of the most common questions has been ….when do you know that it is finished? This also has to be one of the most difficult questions to answer! I had done many smaller drawings prior to the exhibition, to try and work out quite what the big drawing might look like, but these were only ever going to give me a very general idea. Working on this very large scale I had to develop the composition and “feel” of the work, as I did it. Knowing then, quite when it was finished was tricky, but I think I’ve got it about right. There are plenty of things that I might do differently if I were to do it again, but I’m very a happy with this result. I’ve learnt a lot from doing this project and it’s given me a lot of confidence that I could do large scale commissions like this if I can get them……..if you happen to be part of a large organisation or commercial group looking to commission large scale contemporary work …. do give me a call.
As for this particular drawing, well, I’m giving this to North Ayrshire Council for their collection. We’re still discussing how and where the drawing might be displayed, but I’ll be formally handing the piece over at the “End View” on Thursday evening, 8th January. We decided to hold an “End view” so that we could invite folk back to view the finished work and it seemed the perfect time to pass the drawing on to the council. If I haven’t already sent you an invitation, please except my apologies and accept this open invitation to come along and help celebrate the successful conclusion of the exhibition and project.
If you don’t live in the area or haven’t been able to get in to see the exhibition, the images displayed here show a few of the works.
“In sun, snow, mist and rain”, Harbour Arts Centre, 114 – 116 Harbour St, Irvine, Ayrshire, KA12 8PZ.
“End view”, Thursday 8th January 2015, 7pm – 9pm, all welcome.