A Gallery that Focuses on Drawing

Some galleries are very supportive of drawing as a practice. If you find one it’s worthwhile taking a more in-depth look. One I’ve been looking at recently is the Rabley Contemporary Gallery which specialises in drawings, works on paper and original prints. See

Some artists that show there are I think of particular interest to drawing students.

Alan Bond makes sculpture based on architectural sections as well as at times horses that are reminiscent of those pre-historic chalk figures cut into the South Downs. He also draws interior spaces and his drawings of interiors are really worth looking at closely. He uses painterly surfaces, usually monochrome acrylic brushwork laid in washes and then line drawing laid in over the top. Small patches of colour are used to pick out particular areas, which are also then clarified with line drawing. He uses a strong grasp of perspective to give structure to the painterly surfaces below, this allows him to use both low and high vantage points, which of course adds a further layer of interest.   

Alan Bond

Ann Christopher’s recent show 'Marks on the Edge of Space' is really fascinating. Anyone with an interest in making abstract drawings with three-dimensional qualities should look at what she is doing. She layers and cuts paper, combining different types of materials such as tracing papers and cut card as well as using metal inserts. She scratches out surfaces and rubs white marks into areas of grey graphite. What brings all the elements together is a very strong sense of symmetry and reflective geometry.

Ann Christopher

Nik Pollard’s work is quite traditional and yet at the same time is full of strong drawing based on looking at nature. He uses a lot of direct observation and collects his information by drawing out in the landscape and then works up more finished images back in the studio. His drawings of animals and insects are really lively and if you are looking at how to work with brushes and watercolour as a way to keep images fresh you can learn a lot from him.

Nik Pollard

Fiona Robinson’s drawings bring together two different aspects of image making. One area is a direct link to sound, she often stretches graphite coated strings over the paper, and ‘snaps’ them down in response to music. The resultant images are then linked with beach landscapes, the associations between horizon and angle allowing her abstract images to be suggestive of the low angles seen when standing looking out at sea and then turning back towards the land. She also draws directly from landscape, gradually merging the two approaches to make her final images.

Fiona Robinson