Micro-Macro A study of small things on big paper 12th September

Micro-Macro A study of small things on big paper 12th September

What can I say about today? In a nutshell, small things can create big ideas.

I started the day running round the house trying to find objects that would fit in a matchbox. It's something that sounds easy, but when you stop and think, what can you fit in a matchbox that you would want to draw?

After hunting around the house, I stepped outside ready to walk to college. I looked down and saw the very thing I needed. (It became the small object I'd draw all day.) Now that I think about it, this 'thing' probably come from the very animal that sits outside my window and wakes me every morning. This made me smile as I remembered all the times I'd been woken up and said to myself, "That bloody pigeon!" I would never have believed I'd have him to thank for the subject matter of today's and next week's artwork. As this pigeon sat there cooing away at some unearthly hour, he'd actually been saying to me, "Yes Sarah, you may yell and swear at me now, but one day you'll be standing at college with my feather in hand, and drawing it. It will be an inspiration. You can thank me then." It's funny how things work out; one minute something common you see every day and not think about, can become the focus of an artwork. So yes, thank you pigeon for your feather.

I held the feather in front of me. I had to draw 'big'. It was something I'm not used to doing. I was a bit apprehensive at first, having only ever done A4 drawings, but this is the task they've given me and I going to do it!

As I looked closely at a feather, I noticed there are many different parts; the soft fluffy base, the strong spine, and the tip made up of lots of little soft spikes all held together. I picked up my charcoal and started working. The first thing that came to mind was 'soft' and 'fluffy', so I started with that, making use of the wall and the grainy texture under the paper. This worked well and I finished two big drawings. The tutor came around and pointed out how they were all 'soft', and I thought, that's what you think of when you say 'feather', isn't it? They're something soft, fluffy and light. The tutor then made this comment, "I wonder if a feather could be more then just soft?" That got me thinking. I tried a harder line with no smudging. It created a bolder image, but still soft. I then drew sharp shapes following the feathers outline. I think it was an improvement and it didn't look 'soft' anymore.

I carried on, trying out different ideas, occasionally getting annoyed at being stuck. I then followed another direction or idea until the same thing happened again. It was like following a trail of bread crumbs. One drawing looked like the wings of a bug, another a row of spikes with line or wire wrapped around them. I continued and it came down to a very small drawing of the feather. It was all one black line, but branching out into lots of swirls and shapes. This was something very different from the first drawing.

I started the day just thinking of a feather as 'soft and fluffy'. I knew it was the same thing most people usually think when they hear the word 'feather'. However, feathers represent much more than "soft". Feathers enable birds to fly. They're delicate yet strong. Quills (feathers) are related to the beginning of the written word. Words scratched onto a parchment by a feather quill have even killed men! The feather as a symbol is much more than just 'soft'.

Limiting a feather to just representing something 'soft' does not do the feather justice. This simple object left by my pigeon friend has a deep history and important associations. It is not 'just' a feather, it is a tool. With that in mind, I set myself a task, to create something befitting the feather. What shall I do, and how shall I do it? These questions I now ask myself are questions all artists ask. It is how an artwork starts.