The last day of 2011. Of course I am creating an inventory of what I wish to take with me into the next year and what must be dumped. Not resolutions, as such, more of a mental spring clean.

I'm shedding the martyr (the mother who feels guilty for absorbing herself in art when the children are so demanding). I may ditch the rational treatment of my drawing in aid of pursuing a more personal response to the world. I might also take with me the fact that I struggle with the most debilitating depression and finally bring it out into the open (I said might......). I am also definitely going to bring along this little ditty -

"There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way"

On a more intellectual note, the drawings of Sylvia Plath - which I have just become aware of - are simple and observational and communicate only the visual representation. It is difficult to define her emotions or thoughts through these drawings. Her words, however, craft a sharp, intense, economical sense of idea. Incredibly painful, dry and clever poetry.

Perhaps she used drawing as a meditation, a release, an occupation for her hands but not as a tool for communication. I may be barking up the wrong tree entirely because these are in the end the only images I have seen but it did make me think.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/23/sylvia-plath-ted-hughes-art?intcmp=239

Have a wonderful, creative and abundant New Year everyone.

PS Drawing Taster Workshop at the Mansion, Totnes on Friday 13th Jan 11-1 - Tell Yer Mates!

First batch of mail order drawings.

A pilot for a project based on posting a sketch made in words to artists around the country with the instructions to render the words back into a drawing in pencil marks.

The writing of the 'word drawing' has been very problematic. The initial stage of a drawing is looking and I wanted at first to describe the scene as I would interpret it to draw it. In a flattened series of lines.

As it happens the text has now become a description of a further stage. That of the mark making and a thought process or two down the line. It almost tells the story of how the drawing comes into existence. Not really happy about this, it needs to be far more vague and objective. And so I'll wait for the first batch to be returned and analyse the findings. Terminology aside the scope for pathways into discussions around cognitive drawing ideas and on another track the collaboration involved in this one (eventual) installation - which will raise questions around authorship - are already causing me to lose track of myself. So it is potentially a very exciting and full project for me.

It has taken such a long time to get to this point though. Took me six weeks to suss out what type of paper to send to the artists for them to draw on!!!! It's so fundamental to the end result.......

The project is intended for an exhibition in Sheffield called Pandemic (http://pandemic2011.blogspot.com/)

My son drew along the lines of his palm and it inspired so many further 'lines' of enquiry for me.

When I will get the chance to follow them, I do not know, but I thought if I documented it here they would stand more of a chance of growing to fruition than inside my head.

Apart from the visual research what intrigues me is the pragmatic reduction of a superstitious activity of reading palms. If I dealt with narrative in my work I might be tempted to pursue this idea but as it is there is enough in the simplicity of it being a negative of a print.....that the lines are readymade......that the drawing is now gone........that the drawing is worn.....that his father is a tattooist (yikes!)