Drawing connects us with and enables knowledge of the natural world.

Drawing underpins my practice, regardless of the materials I am working with. Last week I had the pleasure of addressing the Chapel Hill View Club. I spoke about the role of Contemporary Drawing as a means of connecting with and gaining knowledge of the natural world, for both the artist and the viewer. This is a topic I firmly believe in and which is inherent in my doctoral thesis.

Some thoughts:

Drawing is such a deceptively “simple” activity. Deceptive because it is so complex in its modalities and its internal processes. It is a primal urge in humans from the moment they have access to a material that makes marks, and we see evidence of it from the Stone Age to the present. Drawing morphs with social, technical, and personal knowledge, and in turn, drawing enables knowledge.

Thanks to Margo for the photos!