“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” Rumi
Do you think that softness is a form of strength?
I am naturally drawn to soft forms in my work and the more I look at the world and think about strength, the more I realise that much strength is born of yielding, bending and reforming. Like water.
Walking by the Danube
Today while I was walking in the park I took some photos of the trees, the details of their beautiful bark, and imagined the layers as they grew, the landscapes and stories that have played out beneath their branches, the air they have breathed and the worlds they have seen.
The photo above is from an oak tree near the Danube in what used to be a palace in the 16th Century, there remains little of the man made structure, a few walls and archways, hints at what was once a grand residence.
Yielding to time and Growth
I love how the aged bark shows layers of time and as the time has passed each layers yields as the inner tree expands. The cracks and islands have taken on a world of their own.
My Own Need to Yield
I have been drawing and writing more the last 2 weeks because I had to take time away from the studio after contracting Covid19 (even though I was being very careful) I didn't have it badly, feverish and loss of my sense of smell and taste, aches and tiredness and foggy headedness but no breathing issues.
After I tested positive I was staying home in isolation and did not have much in the way of drawing materials so I have been experimenting with my ipad as a tool for drawing. To work on some themes exploring the interplay between strength and softness. It's a nice tool. I can see why David Hockney enjoys it.
My field notes series will continue over the next few weeks. As I plans and prepare for the new year and new bodies of work. You can find daily updates on my studio Practice on instagram.