Draftsmanship is for me the foundation of the fine visual arts, whether painting or sculpture. The ability to draw is the ability to see. Art is communication, and drawing is the grammer that transmits a visual language that is universal. Some artists like to speak in a language that is unintelligible to all except, apparently, art critics and divine inspiration. I prefer a more reasoned approach. If this makes my work more "accessible" - a derogatory tag in art academia - then it has achieved its purpose.

I don't remember beginning to draw; it's just something I've always done. I suppose it's a talent, but you do have to work at it. By the age of twelve, I had probably spent as many hours drawing as it takes to get a medical degree. The ability to draw is also a reflection of personality. I've never met an extrovert who was a good draftsman. Drawing is a way of relating to the world which requires a certain reflective objectivity and the ability to shut out external irrelevancies. It requires a personality that is more observer than participant.

 

For me, there is a difference between a draftsman and a human copier. There are plenty of copiers who can render an excellent reproduction of a photograph. Life drawing is much more difficult, requiring the ability to master depth and perspective. Even more demanding is gestural drawing and drawing from memory, with little or no reference.

It's not necessary for a drawing to be detailed as long as the accuracy is there - the underlying architecture of the form must be authentic. Principally, it involves paying very close attention to detail and a high degree of manual dexterity, as well as some feeling for your subject. I'd rather do a portrait of someone I really disliked than someone I found tedious. It's also a fascination for the forms of living things; drawing is like a sixth sense, a kind of touch. These are a few examples of the different kinds of drawing that I do:

Click on each drawing to see the enlargement