Drawn in pen, this elaborate doodle is interesting because while I was drawing it the black was the figure and the white was the ground. So the black was the thing to notice, and the white was just the space in between, the substrate. This was natural, as I was actually drawing the black on a white background. When I finished it (and I was satisfied to find that there was a moment when I realised, without any doubts, that I’d finished, because it was right) there was a figure-ground reversal and since then it’s the white shapes that I’ve noticed, lying on a black background, or in a black space. When I was drawing it I hadn’t realised that, effectively, I was drawing the spaces between things, rather than things themselves. You can still choose to see it either way, by creating your own figure-ground reversals.
Seen the new way, which does seem stronger, several animals can be spotted. You can see a dolphin, a crocodilian (a cayman perhaps?), a duck, some kind of bird and a happy sperm-whale-like creature. But seen the other way – the way I drew it – it’s more refined and flowing.
This is another impression of the Quirang in Skye. I posted a photo of my first one, a painting in acrylics, in a previous post. It really does require art to convey the oddness of the place. Photos don’t capture it. This is one aspect of what 19th/20th century modern art was about – the experience of seeing a thing or being in a place, and the truths of shape and light and colour and perception.
I’ve made the rocks the wrong colour. They shouldn’t look so earthy, because they’re volcanic. But I was trying out my new water-soluble pencils and I liked the contrast of the brown and the green.
(About that last paragraph, I ask myself “but why even mention that?” Well, after a moment’s reflection I now know the bizarre reason: it’s because I’m insuring myself against any accusations of inaccuracy from geologists. Go figure.)
Obviously this is a bit half-assed, but I’m working up to something – it’s the second one like this I’ve drawn. Not sure what it is, but I’m pleased to see that the disc – the sun – really does look bright.
At the risk of revealing a shameful fetish: in case you don’t know what a Moleskine is, have a look at this.
I believe they’re seen as a bit pretentious, but the facts remain: I haven’t seen a better-quality, better-looking, better-feeling notebook anywhere.
I’ve been reading Ernst Gombrich’s The Story of Art. You couldn’t hope to find another writer on art so wise, modest, generous, uncorrupted by fashion and lacking in snobbery. I have two heroes who are important in similar ways: David Attenborough and Jacob Bronowski. I think that Ernst Gombrich will be joining them.
Yours is the first interesting blog I’ve seen so far. Probably because I haven’t picked up a pencil in awhile and my sketchbook is starved.
I quite enjoyed this. Your perspective is lovely.