What defines drawing: intention, format, support? Works in sketchbooks are drawings because they are investigative; primary sources; studies for something else; therefore apparently unfinished, ephemeral, and seen as work in progress. They are part of a journey towards another state of being - which in my case is a finished drawing which has its own autonomy and presents itself as a fully resolved
What defines drawing: intention, format, support? Works in sketchbooks are drawings because they are investigative; primary sources; studies for something else; therefore apparently unfinished, ephemeral, and seen as work in progress. They are part of a journey towards another state of being - which in my case is a finished drawing which has its own autonomy and presents itself as a fully resolved artwork. My drawings merge diverse influences from landscape, music and literature, examining relationships between repetition and process across these different art forms. My current work is directly related to music and had its genesis in exploratory drawings made whilst listening to John Cage’s pieces for prepared piano. Strings soaked in Chinese ink were plucked repeatedly and the sound of them snapping against the paper was a significant element of the process. The Cage drawings were a turning point leading directly to drawings exploring the deeply emotional charge of Bach’s Suites for unaccompanied cello. In the Bach drawings I pursued a deeper engagement with the music, creating an interaction of sound, vigorous movement and mark-making whilst listening to the differing interpretations of the suites by Pablo Casals, Yo Yo Ma and Pieter Wispelwey. Intensely responsive to the mood, major and minor keys of the different suites, the initial layers of each drawing, frequently executed at exhilarating speed, provide a free-flowing undercurrent of line and space over which a structure, acknowledging the measured framework of the music, was superimposed. The manipulation of media, in this case, charcoal, graphite, chalk and wax on paper, continued to be a crucial part of the process. Throughout, however, it was the passionate, least measured interpretation by Pablo Casals with which I identified most closely.
Solo exhibitions 2013 - A Significant Curve, High Cross House, Dartington, National Trust. 2012 - Parallel Lines of Enquiry, The Allsop Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport, Dorset 2008 - [extracts from] The Journey Sequence, Lighthouse Centre for the Arts, Poole 2008 - The Circular Walk Series, The Study Gallery of Modern Art, Poole 2007 - Definitions of Drawing, New Greenham Arts, Newbury 2002 - Recent work, County Hall, Dorchester 2001 - Found Remains, New Greenham Arts 2000 - Exquisite Residues, Havant Arts Centre, Portsmouth 1998 - Between reality and memory, Corn Exchange, Newbury 1997 - Fragments, Watermill Theatre, Bagnor 1995 - Paper Dreams, Corn Exchange, Newbury 1994 - Colour and form, Arts Workshop, Newbury 1993 - Forms, Rising Sun Institute, Reading. Group exhibitions 2013 - 161st Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol. Salisbury Open Drawing, Salisbury Art Centre. From Surface to Structure, Jean Luc Baroni, London. Carte Postale 2 ParisCONCRET. Paris. Tetra, Atkinson Gallery Somerset. Drawn, Open Royal West of England Academy, Bristol. Anonyme Zeichner Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin and Tour. Second Thoughts, Drawing, The Allsop Gallery Bridport. 2012 - Drawn to Nature, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough, Wiltshire 2012 - Jerwood Drawing Prize, Jerwood Space and tour, London, Hastings, Brimingham and Bournemouth 2012 - Royal West of England Academy 160th Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 2012 - The Millfield Open, The Atkinson Gallery, Street, Somerset 2011 - A field Guide to getting lost, Masters and Pelavin , New York City 2011 - Sketch Drawing Prize Exhibition, Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough 2010 - Open Exhibition '10, Dorchester Art Centre, Dorchester 2009 - Anonymous Drawings No. 10, Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2 D-10997 Berlin 2009 - Drawing Room II, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 2009 - Drawn In, Sidcot Arts Centre, Winscombe 2009 - Finalist, FringeMK Annual Painting Prize, The Centre MK, Milton Keynes 2009 - Illusions of Space: Fiona Robinson + George Meyrick + Pennie Elfick, Brewhouse Art Gallery, Taunton 2009 - Lineweight, Truman State University Art Gallery, Kirksville, Missouri, US 2009 - Transition, Exeter Artspace, Rougement Castle, Exeter 2009 - Transition, The Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf , London 2008 - Drawing Matters, Bristol Drawing School, Bristol 2008 - International Biennale of Drawing Kosova, The Kosova Art Gallery, Prishtina 2008 - Muse, Edgar Modern, Bath 2007 - 4th International Drawing Biennale, Bennalla Regional Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia 2007 - Bournemouth University Art Loan Collection 2007/8, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth 2007 - Royal West of England Academy 155 Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 2007 - University of Bath Painting Prize, ICIA University of Bath, Bath 2006 - Open Competition, Black Swan Arts, Frome, Somerset 2006 - Royal West of England Academy 154th Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 2006 - V. International Biennial of Drawing Pilsen 2006, Museum of Western Bohemia, Czech Republic 2006 - V. International Biennial of Drawing Pilsen 2006, Museum of Western Bohemia, Pilsen 2005 - 'Abstract', Earth Gallery, Portland 2005 - Double Vision, Sherborne House, Sherborne 2005 - 'Environmental', Stroud House Gallery, Stroud 2005 - RWA 153rd Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 2005 - Sketch 2005 National Contemporary Drawing Competition / Touring, Seven Seven Contemporary Art, Shorditch, London 2005 - Sketch 2005 National Drawing Competition, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough 2005 - The [Evolver] 2005 Prize Exhibition (Open), The Philips Gallery, Brewhouse, Taunton 2005 - The Millfield Open, Atkinson Gallery, Street, Somerset 2003 - Will's Art Warehouse, London 2003 - Wonderwall Gallery, Cirencester 2003 - Woolf Gallery, London 2002 - Europ'art, Espace Auteuil, Paris 2002 - Freshart, Business Design Centre, London 2001 - Maltby Contemporary Art, Winchester 2000 - The Beatrice Royal Gallery, Eastleigh, The Wiseman Gallery, Oxford 1999 - The sea, the sky and the bit in-between, Open Exhibition, Burton Museum and Art Gallery, Devon 1998 - Cheltenham Open Drawing Competition, University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, Cheltenham and Gloucester College, Cheltenham. Kunsterwerkstatt Banhof Westend, Spandaular Damm 89 Berlin 1998 - Landmark '98, Atrium Gallery, Bournemouth University 1998 - Northcurrent, Watermans Gallery, London, Museet I, Varberg, Sweden, Gedokhaus, Lubeck, Germany 1998 - Viewpoints open, Artsway, Sway 1996 - Borderlands, Dreamlines, Earthworks group, Reading 1995 - Regional Artists Two open, Le Chat Noir Gallery, Albernarle Street, London 1994 - Jelly Leg'd Chicken Gallery, Reading Curated projects 2011 - The Frost Drawing Project curated by Emmy Mathis, The Frost Musum, Miami, USA Residencies 2012 - Artist Residency, The Cill Rialaig Project, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, Rep. of Ireland 2010 - Fellowship, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo Rep. of Ireland 2010 - Residency, The Cill Rialaig Project, Co. Kerry, Rep. of Ireland 2008 - Cill Rialaig Artist Residency, The Cill Rialaig Project, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, Ireland Competitions, prizes and awards 2011 - Excellence in Drawing Prize, Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition, Bristol 2009 - FringeMK Annual Painting Prize, The Centre MK, Milton Keynes 2007 - First Prize, University of Bath Painting Prize. , University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath 2007 - Third Prize. 4th International Drawing Biennale, Melbourne, 2007, Australia, Polish Art Foundation, Melbourne, Australia. 2006 - Brabcombe Award Highly Commended, Ale and Porter Open, Bradford on Avon 2004 - Indigo Art Prize - Finalist, Indigo Arts, Liverpool. Publications 2013 - The Art of Walking: a field Guide edited by David Evans. Black Dog Press, 2013 2012 - Parallel Lines of Enquiry. Exhibition Catalogue. Texts by Kate Jago, Alain Robbe Grillet and Fiona Robinson. Bridport Arts Centre, 2012 2009 - Illusions of Space. Exhibition Catalogue 2007 - [extracts from] The Journey Sequence 2007 2007 - Simon Garden, Exhibition Catalogue. Text by Fiona Robinson. 2007 - The Chegford Variations New paintings by Steven Marshall. Introductory Essay by Fiona Robinson. 2006 - Fifty Wessex Artists by Fiona Robinson
