THINKING THROUGH DRAWING: PRACTICE INTO KNOWLEDGE

THINKING THROUGH DRAWING: PRACTICE INTO KNOWLEDGE 89

Margaret Neill

Drawing is central to my practice as an

artist. I draw to investigate the proper-

ties of abstract curvilinear form found

in the localized conditions of my sur-

rounding environment. This experience is

sublimated in a process both primal and

analytical in developed drawings that are

composed of deeply layered intersecting

geometries and invite the viewer to con-

template presence in the fluidity of time.

I make drawings to forge a path to new

territories of my perception. Using pencil

on paper or directly on the wall, I explore

a singular concept—a reaffirmation of

place: a lived emotional and physical

experience in sensation and memory.

Linear or solid, dense or transparent, the

drawings move from one to the next in

ephemeral yet solid works that celebrate

light and space. They record a portrait of

their space by subliminal means. A wall

drawing is the intense emotional presence

of their location and the activities within.

The pressure and buoyancy of the unfold-

ing shape propels each work forward.

They have a feeling of air, sound, and

speed, an ineffable material that can be

pushed or blown through time. An under-

current of urgent necessity drives this

work as each piece unravels the strands of

line into shape. my drawings are a mecha-

nism of idea, desire, and presence; these

works seek a way of being that is quiet,

continuous and alive.

Top: DRIvER, 80” x 196”, in two panels

Pencil

bottom: EsTUARy 3, 24” x 25”

Pencil on paper mounted on panel, 20011

From the exhibition: