Sophie Ashdown

Recently I’ve been experimenting further with ink on paper, following the cottage drawing I did last month.

I wanted to translate some of the patterns in my head onto paper, which is not an easy task. I also wanted to keep exploring patterns and shapes that fit with the Constructivist style that will be part of my Study Statement.

I started making some A5 size patterns on paper and started really enjoying the process.  The first one I made has circles in horizontal lines where the outside of the circles are implied but not implicit.

I drew the circles first in pencil then drew the horizontal lines using a ruler.  (Ah the ruler is so satisfying after trying to make straight lines by hand in the cottage drawing!)  I deliberately varied the space between the lines to create more movement and abstraction.  The process felt therapeutic and I enjoyed it very much.  I found it easy to concentrate and get lost in the process.

Being pleased with the result, I decided to try another but with the circle perimeter being obvious.  I put circles within circles and ran the horizontal lines through some of the shapes to create more depth and differentiation between the circle shapes.  Although the first piece was technically more challenging, I like the outcome of the second piece better.  It was very satisfying to look back at the pattern, even though there are a couple of small mistakes! 

I had an idea to make a similar piece but with squares.  I happen to have an architectural drawing set (gift from my dad who is a retired architect) which is a serious of green plastic cards with different shapes that can be traced from the inside.

I used the different sizes of squares to make the shapes on the paper.  This was trickier than the circles because it was more challenging to get the squares to line up straight amongst each other.  When drawing the horizontal lines, they revealed which squares are slightly off!  But my son AJ said that I am likely the only person to notice!

In terms of Constructivism, these are not purely in keeping with examples from the original movement, but they still keep with the motifs of straight lines, solid shapes, and geometric patterns. I intend to keep exploring this method of creating new artworks.

The whole process of creating all three pieces was very calming and satisfying.  I feel so at home working with patterns and creating them from my brain to the paper.  There will definitely be more coming soon…