Monochrome — Drawings from Life
I’m very pleased to currently have work included in Monochrome, a mixed media exhibition in black and white at The Gallery, Holt, running until the end of the month. It is also my first exhibition centred entirely around charcoal work.
Drawing has always been the foundation of my practice. It underpins everything I do in paint — not simply as preparation, but as a way of understanding what I’m seeing. These drawings are developed directly from observation and rooted in years of life drawing and traditional observational practice, disciplines which continue to inform all of my landscape, portrait, and figurative work.
There is something uniquely valuable about working in black and white. Without colour, the focus shifts entirely towards structure, atmosphere, proportion, sensitivity of observation, and the organisation of light itself. In many ways, charcoal drawing strips the process back to its essentials.
One of the pieces in the exhibition, Gabriela, explores some of the softer possibilities of charcoal. Her dark hair dissolves gradually into the surrounding tone, allowing the form to emerge slowly rather than being sharply defined by line. There is something of sfumato in this approach — that quiet transition where edges are lost and found and the image seems to surface through atmosphere rather than outline. Leonardo da Vinci described this as working “without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke,” and it remains a powerful way of thinking about drawing today.
The second figure drawing continues this observational approach, built entirely through proportion, comparison, and careful looking, without the use of a grid or mechanical aid. It’s a way of working I return to constantly, and one which increasingly forms part of my teaching: trusting the eye, measuring relationships, and allowing the drawing to gradually resolve itself over time.
For me, drawing from life is about far more than technical accuracy. It is a process of deep attention — learning not only to look, but to truly observe. Over the years I’ve come to believe that this sustained act of observation changes the individual doing the observing. It develops patience, sensitivity, structure, and a deeper awareness of both subject and self.
It’s a real pleasure to show these works in a gallery of this calibre alongside a strong group of artists, and I look forward to seeing the drawings within the exhibition space itself.
For those interested in developing these skills further, there is also excellent life drawing taking place three times a week at Stamford Arts Centre.
I also share occasional Studio Notes on drawing and painting from life, alongside exhibitions and new work, through my mailing list and website.
Monochrome
The Gallery, Holt