Periodically it is useful to return to the fundamental process of drawing. Excluding colour can help to push the mark making and composition further. After completing the large scale Painting with Balloon Form I returned for a time to small scale drawings and mixed media pieces. Piece with Top Left Spade Form started life as part of a larger drawing, which I cut down into separate pieces. Working on this scale (6 x 4 inches) meant that I was able to maintain intimate contact with the piece and to respond without the need to pause and move back to a viewing position. Working with paper also means that uneven edges can become a part of the piece. Drawing with Looping Form exploited the possibility of determining its own structure and boundaries without the need for these to correspond to the edge of the support. This has resulted in peculiar cavities, ambiguous boundaries and ‘hanging ends’.

In Piece with Double Loop, paint, charcoal and pastel were applied to canvas stretched over board. I had been appreciating the freedom of Roger Hilton’s work at the time, so the piece resulted from a quicker, more ‘automatic’ process. The double loop is similar to that which occurs in Painting with Triangular Return, top left, and also connects with the heart motif. I used mainly charcoal and eraser for Drawing with Centre Square. Working against the firm surface of the wall meant that I could work quite vigorously. The de-construction of the rectangle bottom left gives rise to a boat form, but the remaining fragments are also interesting. The combination of straight and curved edges upper centre gives rise to configurations reminiscent of letter-forms. The ellipse also makes a significant appearance.