Encompassing a diverse range of media — from drawing and painting to collage and beyond — works on paper can offer a glimpse into an artist’s creative process. For many, the freedom and immediacy afforded by working on paper is instrumental to their practices, spawning new techniques and aesthetics, subjects and methods.
Far from being confined to studies and experiments, works on paper represent important modes of art-making in their own right.
Some have very traditional approaches, producing fine drawings using graphite, pastel or charcoal whilst others sketch in paint, producing quick studies with oils, acrylics or watercolours. The use of sketches and sketchbooks are often the starting point for larger pieces of work whether to serve as inspiration and reflection when the artistic process isn’t quite going to plan, to serve as a reminder of time and place, or just to revisit an old idea.