March 03, 2020
Drawing Is Everything
Drawing is an ancient and enduring form of human expression. As children we all learn to draw before we can write. It is the most personal of all artistic statements – a direct expression of the draftsman’s personality in the flow of the line.
Historically, drawing has been the foundation of art practice because mastery of the discipline was considered to be an important part of every artist’s training. Artists traditionally used drawing in a preparatory way, as a means to work through ideas in the lead-up to making paintings, sculptures and other works of art. Ever since the Renaissance, drawing has gradually been losing its utilitarian status and its documents have been increasingly valued and collected.
The artists featured in this curation have taken on drawing, not for making preliminary sketches, but as the primary medium used for producing finished works of art. These drawings are full of direct energy and raw expression, and are excellent examples of drawing’s unique qualities as a contemporary art form.
Curated by Sally Browne
About the Curator
Sally Browne
Sally Browne is a visual artist from Sydney, best known for her stylised paintings of Australian Flora and Fauna. Sally grew up in the UK where she commenced her formal studies in Art and Surface Pattern Design, before travelling throughout South East Asia and settling in Sydney.
She worked as an art director (branding) for 15 years prior to launching into painting full time in 2015. Her work is held in private and commercial collections in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, France, Norway and Denmark. Influences: Owen Jones' The Grammar of Ornament, Ukiyo-e, Brett Whiteley, David Hockney and Margaret Preston.
“My work is informed by the wild nature that flourishes in the unkempt gardens and streets of my inner city neighbourhood. I use colour, composition and expressive line to create two dimensional narratives of my surroundings. Our flora and fauna here in Sydney is exotic and unique, and for the moment, still thriving in pockets amongst the hum of the big city backdrop. My current paintings explore the visual language of line and pattern within the Australian landscape, and are influenced by the process and characteristics of Japanese block printing.”
