MAUREEN
If I was 12 I'd probably call Maureen my step Granny, but I'm not, so I don't. Maureen moved to Langholm from her
hometown of Nottingham in the early 70s.
Maureen's life has included teaching - both in the UK and Mongolia (really), parenthood, running hotels, running
restaurants, growing her own produce and a million others things. Maureen's not someone who sits back and lets
the world happen. She's involved.
Photo library available here
If I was 12 I'd probably call Maureen my step Granny, but I'm not, so I don't. Maureen moved to Langholm from her
hometown of Nottingham in the early 70s.
Maureen's life has included teaching - both in the UK and Mongolia (really), parenthood, running hotels, running
restaurants, growing her own produce and a million others things. Maureen's not someone who sits back and lets
the world happen. She's involved.
Photo library available here
After talking with Maureen and taking photos, I was anxious about getting down to the drawing, I was in the midst of a
'can't draw' phase - an issue that seems to haunt me. I fall in and out of 'the zone' without any obvious reason. The more
I try to control or combat it, the worse I make it. The only thing that seems to work is to just keep on working, ignoring
the negative results and simply churning out pages. I struggle to remain calm during these periods and many a pen has
come to a bent nib end.
'can't draw' phase - an issue that seems to haunt me. I fall in and out of 'the zone' without any obvious reason. The more
I try to control or combat it, the worse I make it. The only thing that seems to work is to just keep on working, ignoring
the negative results and simply churning out pages. I struggle to remain calm during these periods and many a pen has
come to a bent nib end.
The 'bad' phase lead me to assess my approach to this project and I felt there was a flaw in my consideration. I was trying
to force my work in particular directions and to achieve outcomes that I'd mentally composed in reaction to the work of
others. I wanted a combination of all those other peoples work but I was failing to add my own work to that mix. I decided
I needed to pay more attention to my own work - what happens naturally on the page - rather than trying to orchestrate
something else to happen.
to force my work in particular directions and to achieve outcomes that I'd mentally composed in reaction to the work of
others. I wanted a combination of all those other peoples work but I was failing to add my own work to that mix. I decided
I needed to pay more attention to my own work - what happens naturally on the page - rather than trying to orchestrate
something else to happen.
I had come at the project with a handful of decisions already made and a number of boxes that the work was going to have
to tick. The pieces will do this, they will show that. This was stopping me from naturally responding - as far as I'm concerned,
a huge mistake.
to tick. The pieces will do this, they will show that. This was stopping me from naturally responding - as far as I'm concerned,
a huge mistake.
The freedom that this breakthrough afforded me, seemed to do the trick and my drawing slid back into the fluid and almost
unconscious process that produces the best results (and is most enjoyable).
unconscious process that produces the best results (and is most enjoyable).
These pencil drawings were the first I had enjoyed doing for a few weeks and I turned them out fairly quickly
(which sounds bad but isn't).
(which sounds bad but isn't).
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