-A Series of Beginnings

During the summer of 2020 creative practices became a lifeline for many – including people who had not considered themselves artistically inclined. Artists faced challenges around access to space and materials, and even an ability to focus. Conversely there were also many good experiences including artists sharing their skills and knowledge through digital media, utilising the time and narrowness of daily life to create different work, and being grateful for the discipline of creating in a time of upheaval.

Since 2014, Michele Whiting had been leading a drawing class in Trowbridge to explore drawing techniques. Over time, as members of the group came and went, the intention of exploring what constitutes drawing remained. A core group formed and continued to consider their visual language, challenging comfortable and natural-feeling practices through extended experiences of mark-making and drawing. Attention was paid to pace, scale, materials, colour, drawing tools, prompts and composition.

This exhibition shows a selection of each artist’s work started during that time. Some are more resolved than others, some of the work is seen as finished, some as a fresh start and others still as a ‘dead end’ by the person making it. In the future any could lead to a new body of work, and all contribute to the artist’s understanding of their drawing practice.

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