I am always interested when I read about artists' thoughts about the role of drawing in their oeuvre. As someone who believes that drawing, as a multi-faceted medium, is really relevant to today's art world, I find that more and more artists are voicing similar opinions.
In a review of a current exhibition at Messum's in London, David Tress:Thinking about Landscapes, Andrew Lambirth of The Spectator wrote about Tress' feeling that many admirers of his work see the "frilly bits around the edges, the layers and the vigorous handling", but don't think about how those effects are achieved. Tress apparently believes that the freedom to create in that fashion only comes through hard work.
Tress maintains, "Unless you've been trained to draw - that good old solid background of representational painting (perspective, space, tonal relationships) - you can't do it." He apparently follows his "gut feeling" in creating his work too, something else that I too firmly believe matters.
David Tress,Oh Summer, Oh Far Summer, 2012 Graphite on paper(Image courtesy of Messum's)
Estuary Light (Laugharne), graphite on paper 2001 David Tress
Each artist brings his or her own wonderful eye to the composition and subject of the drawing, and with life experience implicit in every mark made, the individualism of the artist becomes very apparent, especially with the confidence of time and practice. David Tress demonstrates this very clearly in his drawings and paintings.
Grasmere Lake, graphite on paper, David Tress
David Tress talked to Andrew Lambirth about the vital role of structure too. All that examination of subject matter by drawing it first helps build the layers of the work, so that the final result can flow more intuitively and freely. Sometimes, too, things don't work out as initially planned - more than sometimes, for most of us! - so resorting to more drawing can often help chart a new course for the work.
Burn Moor (Double Rainbow), 2013, collage, impasto, painting and drawing, David Tress
When it is the drawing itself which is the finished work, it rather depends on what you are using when it comes to freedom. More forgiving media - graphite, charcoal, pastels, watercolours - allow alterations and additions. Metalpoint is less flexible, given that you are working with indelible metal marks. So doing some preliminary drawing, in graphite, for example, can free you up to launch into the metalpoint work because you have a clearer idea of where you want to go in the drawing.
Tress really does make sense about freeing up through drawing. His work certainly shows what can be achieved by a dedicated, hard-working artist. We can all learn from such examples.