Bystander 5 Print

Drawing has always been my favourite artistic medium. I have sometimes struggled with my conflicting interests, Ancient Greece and Art and the direction that they have taken me. I did an art foundation course, started at Salford College and then continued at South Trafford college in 1993/4. I did not feel ready to pursue an art career at this stage, however I produced a series of photographs of derelict buildings and other structures around the West Didsbury area of South Manchester. I have always had a fascination with decaying buildings, unused places and their history. I find that a derelict building or abandoned area to be a perfect place to use my imagination. I spent a lot of time in the area of the disused old railway (now Metrolink) at West Didsbury and found the return to a previous natural state with trees and ponds thriving next to a past industrial era to be a source of inspiration. I also noticed that when such places have been discarded, often people on the fringes of society or even outside society move in to make it their place. Drug taking, homelessness, rebellious teenagers, alcoholics and glue sniffers used these forgotten places for their own purposes. This is probably why my drawings are often charcoal and quite dark. I also did not feel I had a clear direction at this time in my life, so my interest in abandoned places was a type of refuge for me, as it was for other people who are at a crossroads in their life. Many ancient societies believe that in order for a person to progress to adulthood, they must step outside the normal pursuits of society. This is my mini version of "˜stepping outside' thus to move on. I pursued a degree in Classical Civilisation and an MA in Ancient World Studies. The past and what is learnt from it has always been important to me. I spent 8 years teaching Religion, Philosophy and Classics before finally leaving teaching in 2009. I had been gradually spending more time working on drawing, however in 2009 I felt ready to return back to the beginning with my drawing. I do not believe that I could do this without the 20 years of life experience accrued since my art foundation studies. I have recently had my work accepted into an open exhibition and hope to continue to show my work in the future. I still have an interest in the forgotten things in life however my particular interest is in my own past as a bystander and observer of people and about powerlessness.