Thursday 11 October 2012

Ilkley Art Trail 2012 - Day 6

The organiser has spent the day replacing signage that had gone astray and giving out programmes around town and has been relieved from blog content by something which I believe is a great thing to do: Chris Smith has offered to guest blog today and here are his reflections on Drew Ward's work:


Drew Ward – VENUE 13

Audience:


The paradox in Drew Ward’s drawings is that whilst they are full of lines, there are no drawn lines as such, only edges and when you think about it an edge is not a line anyway, but merely the point of transition between one thing and another. Phew, my head hurts!

I am struck by a recurring idea of slatted blinds or vents in these drawings. As we know a blind simultaneously blocks and reveals the view, but it also regulates illumination into a scene, in much the same way a vent regulates the flow of air. There is another sense in which these drawings are ‘airy’ too; they depict the high spaces in architectural buildings that would otherwise be unseen. In these places the exchange of wall, ceiling and corner are managed through complex crossings, skeletal supporting structures and services, which build from back to the front to give the drawings their double sense of space and atmosphere.

In most of the drawings the blocks of tone seem to slide alongside each other in seismic shifts. Fragments, or shards, break away to form new ribbons of light and dark pattern, which remind me of the black and yellow tape used by workmen to cordon-off dangerous construction sites. This simile could be apt given the lofty heights in which these drawings have their origins.
Alternatively, what I meant to say is - I really like these drawings!

Thank you Chris.

I am hopeful of another guest blog slot from Chris tomorrow...

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