Charcoal has seemed the most appropriate medium for my plant drawings. Its crumbly fragility, make each mark vulnerable and susceptible. You can smudge it, move it around, make it incredibly black and dense or barely a trace. It enables me to make emotive botanical drawings as opposed to the observational, scientific drawings of this genre. And as charcoal is derived from plants, this connection gives the drawings a sort of circularity and history.
But the dampness of the river, and where my work might be shown (in the hut, yet to be renovated, next to the nature reserve), has made me think more about the type of surface to draw on.
Paper has a simplicity: on paper, the drawing is all about the image, and unframed, there is no mediation. It is raw and uncompromising. But paper can cockle in damp environments so framing gives it another level of protection – keeping the work unframed raises practical concerns about how to store and preserve it, especially as charcoal comes off so easily.
Red Campion, charcoal on paper, 180 x 120, 2023 | Cowslip, charcoal on paper, 120 x 90, 2022
This plant was collected on my first visit to the River Crane. It is drawn in charcoal on linen. Linen appeals to me as it is natural and plant-based and can be put on a stretcher without any framing. Its surface is not as smooth as paper, even the extra fine linen. But the charcoal can be fixed and varnished so it will not come off.
But I am also thinking about making my own paper from used cartridge paper (I knew I kept all my life drawings for something!) and water and plant matter from the river. And about using recycled materials – packing cases and cardboard, or driftwood from the Thames might also be more appropriate
