This collection of experimental drawings began simply with an exploration of another new medium, gold ink. The gold ink was sourced on the island at the Iona Craft Shop, and I have wondered if I was initially drawn to it because of the idea of the monks illuminating texts.
During my month-long art residency on the Isle of Iona I found I needed something in the evenings that allowed me to create without feeling tied to the observational and representational work I had been doing during the daytime.
Sitting at my desk in my studio/room I played moody instrumental music and used both brush and dip pen to explore organic shapes, forms, and textures. No room for pre-drawing anything, just moving the ink on the paper until it sat where it settled.
Although the forms remain undefined and abstracted, it is hard to dismiss that many of the forms on paper appear to be subconscious reflections of the aquatic plant life that washes up on the beaches. Many of these ocean-smelling bits were sitting on the windowsill just above the desk drying.
Now that I am back in the studio in Dundee, these forms have started to become three-dimensional as I explore a new medium, bronze casting. I am very excited to see how these forms grow and change as they find new characteristics.