Drawings in motion at the Margaret Harvey Gallery (From Watford Observer)

Drawings in motion at the Margaret Harvey Gallery

9:42am Wednesday 29th July 2009

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Intersecting lines feature heavily in the work of Disgwell Arts Trust artist Christina Bryant, whose show Drawn On, Drawn In opens at the Margaret Harvey Gallery this week.

Christina won first prize at Margaret Harvey Open last year with her sculptural drawing, The House. She also won Young Artist of the Year 2007 at New Maynard Gallery in Welwyn and has a BA from the University of Hertfordshire in Fine Art.

I didn’t choose drawing as the medium for the show, but it lent itself to the study of how we experience the world around us

Christina Bryant

“The House is not part of this exhibition but it is the piece that won me the prize, which included assistance in staging a solo show and promotion through the university,” says Christina. “It’s been nice to have the pressure taken off, so I can focus solely on the work.”

Christina’s pieces are also work in progress. As part of the show, audiences will be able to see the results of her live drawing performances.

“I’m really interested in space; usually empty space,” she says. “I didn’t choose drawing as the medium for the show, but it lent itself to the study of how we experience the world around us. The performance element came from the inquiry as to how a drawing can be used to interact with and record a space and time.”

To build these interactive images, Christina sits inside a transparent structure and traces shapes across the walls as visitors move within the space around her.

“I wanted to get in and draw what’s around me, so I could hold still moments in time. How we read a drawing is quite separate from the artist doing it. Usually we don’t get to see a picture until it is finished, but here people can see me draw them as they’re moving around.”

In many of Christina’s works you get a sense of what lies beyond the image. A door leads to another door, or a flight of stairs leads up to a room beyond reach.

“My drawings are all line-based, so I can play with perspective. The more I explore the process and illusion of drawing, the more possibilities open out.”

Drawn On, Drawn In runs to Saturday, August 15 at the Margaret Harvey Gallery, Hatfield Road, St Albans. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm. Details: 01707 284290

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