National Drawing Day 2021
To celebrate National Drawing Day 2021, Backwater Artists Group presents studio artists; Stephen Doyle, Cassandra Eustace, Megan Eustace, Eileen Healy, Peter Nash and Ciara Rodgers in short films as they reflect on what drawing means to them and how it informs their practice from preparation to exhibition.
In a collaboration with MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, Backwater Artists Group is also delighted to present a video introduction to Drawbridge, a new Drawing Research Network in the Heart of Cork City. Research Assistant Anne-May Tabb reflects on five drawing projects which led up to the formation of this research hub, including their collaborations with BAG.
Filmed and produced by studio member Ciara Rodgers, the series of videos give an insight into projects, personal practice, residencies and exhibitions with an emphasis on the use of drawing, whether provisional or final. They will explore a variety of methodologies, from field sketching to performance, portraiture and figurative work to contemporary drawing practice, revealing how drawing can capture real time and how artists use drawing as the basis for many of their projects, often crossing disciplines into sculpture, painting, printmaking and film.
VIDEO 1: Drawbridge Research Network – collaborative projects between Backwater Artists Group and MTU Crawford College of Art and Design. Anne May Tabb introduces the Drawbridge Research Network and the projects which led to its recent formation.
VIDEO 2: Model-making & research-gathering. Ciara Rodgers discusses how modelmaking, gathered objects and polaroid photography help inform her drawings. Peter Nash talks us through his use of drawing as the basis for his stop motion animation and printmaking.
VIDEO 3: Problem Solving Through Drawing. Cassandra and Megan Eustace discuss their Drawing Clinic and how having an artist twin affects their respective art practices
VIDEO 4: The Figure in Context and Composition. Eileen Healy demystifies the life model and shares her methods of mark making and materials. Stephen Doyle shares his current charcoal drawing practice and outlines how it also crosses over into sculpture and installation