The Necessity of Drawing


“The encounter of artist and drawing energies, their dialogue, does not have the form of question and answer. It is an inarticulate dialogue.” -Granta

To draw is not only to represent and review, but it is also to receive. Drawing is a process of making a dialogue, but it is an internal one between the artist and their thoughts. This awareness occurs during the process of drawing. One can fully engage and merge into the act of drawing. When that occurs, one reaches a peak point of concentration and flow. During that period, you are intensely focused and your senses are fully engaged, yet you remain aware of the surrounding environment. In this way, drawing can be seen as an alternative method of meditation. Drawing is a way to explore thoughts, but not to be enslaved to one’s own thoughts. When you pause and step back to ponder is the moment you begin to receive. Drawing become a means to observing one’s thoughts.

To draw requires the intensity of noticing. When it reaches a certain degree, one becomes more aware of the intense energy that can transform through drawing. Up to this point, the subject fades into the background. The shift from looking to making occurs during the act of drawing. When this internal dialogue reaches a point of intensity, mood and energy begin to transfer back and forth between the artist and the drawing.  The act of drawing is indeed a silent conversation that only the artist understands.