Using the stylus I scratch away at the surface…
Nigella and Gypsophila
Whilst looking into the iconic sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci, I came across the ancient technique of Silverpoint. Up until now I have used pencil to create the detail I want in my drawings, but I have discovered an even higher level of detail can be made with this traditional technique. Instead of a pencil, artists of old would carry with them a stylus with a piece of metal wire, silver, copper or even gold within. This allowed them to draw without the nuisance of having to use a knife to sharpen their tool. One of the beautiful things about this technique is that the medium tarnishes on the page, therefore slowly changing colour as time goes on…Since using silverpoint my drawing style has developed a deeper sense of detail, I look even closer at the objects I study for my drawings. The tiny spines running down the length of a stem, the delicate web of veins across a leaf or the tiny holes in a flaking dry Hydrangea petal…
In my previous blog entry I touched on my love for dried flowers, this has become the subject of my artworks in silverpoint. I feel that the intricacy that silverpoint allows truly compliments the beauty and fragility of dried flowers. Silverpoint is not a medium to be rushed, it takes time, a lot of time. I have had to really practise patience to enable me to reach a point where I am happy with my drawings. With a one year old son I have to ensure that I use my spare moments wisely but this is why I must be patient with myself and my medium, time is scarce at the moment, life is ever busy. But the hectic nature of life with a toddler really makes me appreciate the little moments of quiet, the hour where there is stillness and calm. In these moments I can get in touch with the part of me that is not just a Mother, the part of me that makes me, me. I get so absorbed in my drawings now that it is almost like being in another world, a world filled with fragments of botanical detail and natural beauty, so close and magnified before my eyes.
As some may know, alongside my artistic career, I am currently working as a private gardener and studying Horticulture. I am immersed in nature every day and it has completely transformed my artwork, it inspired me constantly. Being outside is where I always wish to be, where I am surrounded by beauty in its most naturally varying forms and I am absolutely adoring every step of the adventure. My gardening work and my artwork have slowly begun to intertwine with one another in a way I could never have planned and I feel more inspired than ever…
