Focussing on line rather than tone, this exhibition features drawings on paper in a variety of media including pencil, crayons, ink, and watercolour. These are not necessarily drawings of things; they are abstract works but may evoke subjects. As clay dries, it hardens, and each stage creates a different engagement with the drawing process.
Roper says, “Line drawing has been much on my mind of late as it is likely to be affected by Parkinson’s, which I have had for some time. It’s a shrinking condition. You keep making smaller movements, but they look perfectly fine to you.
In painting, line gives way to masses of colour. At school, I was drawn to Matisse’s colour and De Kooning’s techniques. There is a directness that I find very appealing. My take on that is to build up layers of colour and line. Of course, if you keep building up lines, they start to disintegrate into shapes.
For me, the appeal of abstract art, when it works, is that it gives anyone the opportunity to experience it and work out what they make of it.”
