firstsite contemporary art colchester

Residencies: 17 September – 29 October 2005
Exhibition: 15 – 29 October 2005
The Drawing Room

firstsite was delighted to present an exciting new drawing programme working with students from eight Colchester Secondary schools and colleges.

The Artist Space at firstsite was transformed into "The Drawing Room", a space dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of drawing.

Three artists working in the Eastern Region – Hilary Owers, Jevan Watkins Jones and Jo Chapman – were in residence in TheDrawing Room. Each had a week to develop their own drawing practice, whilst also leading workshops for students.

Students experienced working directly with artists and learnt about their complementary approaches to drawing, using a range of materials for inspiration.

Students used charcoal with Hilary Owers, creating large-scale drawings of natural objects. In the second week they transformed The Drawing Room with Jevan Watkins Jones.

Finally they worked with Jo Chapman using large-scale projections to draw directly onto the gallery walls.

An exhibition dedicated to the students' artwork was exhibited in The Drawing Room from 15 – 29 October. Inkpen Downie Architects will be assisting firstsite to select the artworks by over 150 students.

Hilary Owers: 19 – 24 September 2005
Hilary is based at Cuckoo Farm Studios and used her residency to look at drawing on a large scale, taking inspiration from nature through "experimental mark making with rubbers and sandpaper."

Jevan Watkins Jones: 26 September – 1 October 2005
After a recnt career focusing on installation and performance Jevan used his time in The Drawing Room to return to two dimensional work.

He encouraged the act of drawing as a medium for reconnecting with surroundings: "beginning in uncharted land we end with a sense of place."

Jo Chapman: 3 – 8 October 2005
Jo works directly onto the wall with drawn lines that are painted or stitched. She developed this technique around notions of excessive consumption and desire by exploring scale: "the drawings will be an explosion of stuff".

Participating schools
Sir Charles Lucas Arts College, St Benedict's, St Helena,
Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester Institute, Stanway School and Colchester Sixth Form College.

The Drawing Room was very much an active space; as viewers will be able to create their own drawings using the Supply Station: a mobile unit containing papers, pens, pencils and more.

The Drawing Room was developed in association with the
Victor Batte-Lay Trust and links to the national initiative, The Big Draw.

Hilary Owers
Hilary Owers trained as a printmaker and traces of this legacy remain evident in her current practice. Working predominantly in monochrome and through a variety of techniques, Owers explores the medium of drawing.

There is a surprising use of scale in Owers’ work; she creates both large images of exotic landscapes alongside detailed studies of single plants. Her series ‘Dry Garden’ – inspired by novels by Nancy Friday – is a body of work that develops this duality whilst also using nature metaphorically.

Owers allows her compositions to be almost organically lead by what she chooses to portray. Her work similarly draws on the nature / female binary to investigate gender based issues and peculiarities. The contrast between delicate flowers and spiky cacti for example, is evocative of a tension presupposed in sexual and familial relationships. Owers’ method of excising marks with sandpaper and rubbers further extends this to include violence, perhaps even misogyny.

Jevan Watkins Jones
Jevan Watkins Jones investigates and negotiates the unseen,
ephemeral and imperfect. The resulting works are often underpinned by a poetic polarity and transient quality.

Jones uses combinations of drawing, assemblage and performance in his practice. He also commonly uses found objects, which he positions in new contexts and situations to respond to the natural world. In this sense, Jones’ practice is quite a private and personal exercise.

The act of creating is central to his work. He often responds to the immediate environment, altering aspects of this to create a ‘newness’ in his experience of it. Connections with place and reactions to situations are also heavily evident in Jones’ work.

Jo Chapman
Jo Chapman’s work investigates notions of context. Her practice tends to focus on the use of drawing; generally this is undertaken directly onto the fabric of the building. As such, Chapman’s pieces become site-specific and necessarily temporary. This fleeting duration is furthered in the fragility and subtleness of Chapman’s work. She uses line – either drawn or stitched – that is delicately introduced to the gallery space. Commonly using natural forms, such as plants and flowers, Chapman’s work evolves rather than intrudes.

Chapman works with fluidity, allowing the space to dictate the path of her imagery. Likewise she uses her drawings to focus attention on the overlooked parts of her environment: corners, plug sockets, fixtures and fittings are unified through Chapman’s interventions. Through this production of harmony, Chapman also encourages ideas of contemplation and beauty.

	Detail from the Drawing Room Residencies: 17 September – 29 October 2005 Exhibition: 15 – 29 October 2005 The Drawing Room firstsite was delighted to present an exciting new drawing programme working with students from eight Colchester Secondary schools and colleges. The Artist Space at firstsite was transformed into "The Drawing Room", a space dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of drawing. Three artists working in the Eastern Region – Hilary Owers, Jevan Watkins Jones and Jo Chapman – were in residence in TheDrawing Room. Each had a week to develop their own drawing practice, whilst also leading workshops for students. Students experienced working directly with artists and learnt about their complementary approaches to drawing, using a range of materials for inspiration. Students used charcoal with Hilary Owers, creating large-scale drawings of natural objects. In the second week they transformed The Drawing Room with Jevan Watkins Jones. Finally they worked with Jo Chapman using large-scale projections to draw directly onto the gallery walls. An exhibition dedicated to the students' artwork was exhibited in The Drawing Room from 15 – 29 October. Inkpen Downie Architects will be assisting firstsite to select the artworks by over 150 students. Hilary Owers: 19 – 24 September 2005 Hilary is based at Cuckoo Farm Studios and used her residency to look at drawing on a large scale, taking inspiration from nature through "experimental mark making with rubbers and sandpaper." Jevan Watkins Jones: 26 September – 1 October 2005 After a recnt career focusing on installation and performance Jevan used his time in The Drawing Room to return to two dimensional work. He encouraged the act of drawing as a medium for reconnecting with surroundings: "beginning in uncharted land we end with a sense of place." Jo Chapman: 3 – 8 October 2005 Jo works directly onto the wall with drawn lines that are painted or stitched. She developed this technique around notions of excessive consumption and desire by exploring scale: "the drawings will be an explosion of stuff". Participating schools Sir Charles Lucas Arts College, St Benedict's, St Helena, Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester Institute, Stanway School and Colchester Sixth Form College. The Drawing Room was very much an active space; as viewers will be able to create their own drawings using the Supply Station: a mobile unit containing papers, pens, pencils and more. The Drawing Room was developed in association with the Victor Batte-Lay Trust and links to the national initiative, The Big Draw. Hilary Owers Hilary Owers trained as a printmaker and traces of this legacy remain evident in her current practice. Working predominantly in monochrome and through a variety of techniques, Owers explores the medium of drawing. There is a surprising use of scale in Owers’ work; she creates both large images of exotic landscapes alongside detailed studies of single plants. Her series ‘Dry Garden’ – inspired by novels by Nancy Friday – is a body of work that develops this duality whilst also using nature metaphorically. Owers allows her compositions to be almost organically lead by what she chooses to portray. Her work similarly draws on the nature / female binary to investigate gender based issues and peculiarities. The contrast between delicate flowers and spiky cacti for example, is evocative of a tension presupposed in sexual and familial relationships. Owers’ method of excising marks with sandpaper and rubbers further extends this to include violence, perhaps even misogyny. Jevan Watkins Jones Jevan Watkins Jones investigates and negotiates the unseen, ephemeral and imperfect. The resulting works are often underpinned by a poetic polarity and transient quality. Jones uses combinations of drawing, assemblage and performance in his practice. He also commonly uses found objects, which he positions in new contexts and situations to respond to the natural world. In this sense, Jones’ practice is quite a private and personal exercise. The act of creating is central to his work. He often responds to the immediate environment, altering aspects of this to create a ‘newness’ in his experience of it. Connections with place and reactions to situations are also heavily evident in Jones’ work. Jo Chapman Jo Chapman’s work investigates notions of context. Her practice tends to focus on the use of drawing; generally this is undertaken directly onto the fabric of the building. As such, Chapman’s pieces become site-specific and necessarily temporary. This fleeting duration is furthered in the fragility and subtleness of Chapman’s work. She uses line – either drawn or stitched – that is delicately introduced to the gallery space. Commonly using natural forms, such as plants and flowers, Chapman’s work evolves rather than intrudes. Chapman works with fluidity, allowing the space to dictate the path of her imagery. Likewise she uses her drawings to focus attention on the overlooked parts of her environment: corners, plug sockets, fixtures and fittings are unified through Chapman’s interventions. Through this production of harmony, Chapman also encourages ideas of contemplation and beauty. Download The Drawing Room Teachers' Tools (700kb Word doc)