My drawing and painting practice centres around landscape and architecture.  I have been exploring the concept of bridging - the linking of the two sides and its metaphoric and transient nature.

My initial responses to the bridge itself are recorded in a drawing book on site, using an energetic visual language that is accentuated by a sense of place and the elements.

Back in my studio this work is transcibed into paintings using acrylic paint and oil bars on canvas, board or paper, at the same time retaining the energetic vitality found in the originl drawings.  The layered edges of the canvas explore the limbus effect that questions where the painting ends and reality begins.  It reflects the history of its making and invites the viewer to place the canvas in reality.

Drawing plays an important part in my practice and through drawing blind I have been exploring a freedom from the critical eye.  The unpredictable combination of soluble crayon and water, plus calligraphic influences. have resulted in the development of an intriguing body of drawings that exists without the correcting element constantly experienced when drawing with sight.  These influences feed into my paintings, encouraging them to teeter enticingly between reality and abstraction. 

It is now possible to view a short piece of film on my blog showing myself producing  and talking about Blind Drawing. This  illustrates  clearly the way they are made.

www.beryldesmond.blogspot.com

Link: -  Reflections on Drawing without Sight

Since August 1st, 2012, I have been developing my practice in my  studio space at 44AD, a new contemporary art gallery and studio space in the centre of Bath in the UK.

Forthcoming Solo Exhibition

Connections

Solo Exhibition to be held 27^th March and 19^th April

 Private View 5th April

 Bath Royal Literacy and Scientific Institution, !6 Queen Square, Bath. BA1 2HN.

I will be presenting a body of expressionistic paintings and drawings, that explores structure in the landscape. Included in the exhibition will be work based on the west country’s icon structures - the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol and Pulteney Bridge, Bath.

The continuum is the foundation of my practice and this exhibition provides an insight into the way my art work evolves.  The various sized paintings on both paper and canvas have developed from drawings made during visits to various locations. 

Also included will be series of drawings made with eyes closed.  In this work I take drawing beyond its representational and preparatory roles, and giving it an authenticity and autonomy in its own right.  By negating the critical eye, I challenge the public to question the significance of the resulting marks and how they are read.

Such influences feed into my paintings that can be seen as a fusion of memory and the actual, resulting in an energetic and thought-provoking exhibition.

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