Running & mark-making

There is a brutality in the mark-making process; the way a brush scratches (scrubs) the surface of paper. Yet, it is like the brutality of scratching an itch - hugely satisfying and comforting.

Running & mark-making. This series of art works are an extension from my sketchbooks which records textures I see and experience in parks where I run; a visualisation of my senses in active motion. Textures are felt-out and produced with an ink brush using a drybrush technique.

This experience of mark making on a long scroll has similarities with endurance training; the paper is the trail, and the brushes my feet in running shoes. At times, my mind goes blank due to the repetition of movements, yet I’m still moving my hands or my feet as muscle memory takes over before passing it back to my consciousness; running & mark-making.

Selected artworks from this series were showcased at Temu House in the group exhibition - Clouds Over the Poppy Garden as She Runs on Grass.