Art from a Bicycle

These big drawings take some time.

I was trying to experiment with not using perspective conventions and instead using the flattening axonometric techniques of architectural drawing, similar to Japanese and Chinese art of the 18th and 19th century.

However, placing a figure in them – Yasmin – is difficult. The spatial logic tells you that in the same way you can see the top of the plant pot and it’s elevation simultaneously you should be able to see the top of Yasmin’s head and her face too. I tried but couldn’t get this to work. It just looked silly.

Going back to look at Hokusai prints and drawings their figures do and don’t work within the image’s spatial conventions. Often there is no perspective at all with figures in the foreground and background having the same size, importance and detail.

The blackbird sadly came to rest in our garden and then to die. We kept it quiet company as it hopped about, to old and weak to fly away, making sure there was enough water near by for him to reach.

This took a while. I’m going to put it away and come back to it with fresher eyes in a couple of weeks. Please see below for the preparatory sketches:

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And below for the sequential development of the drawing:

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This drawing is almost 500 years old and is part of the Royal Collection. It is revelatory in how simple materials can make such powerful images.