Cage

This little sketch was made in pen and ink after a walk to the river Ribble here in Clitheroe. A crow had been disturbed and flew upwards away from the tree. It seemed massive and imprinted itself on my memory. This sketch was made as soon as I got home, not on the spot this time.

I decided to make a large study on some wonderful hand-made watercolour paper that I have been given. I also had some feathers that I’d collected of varying sizes. I decided to draw with these dipped in the ink, and use a brush and water for halftones. I cut an 45 degree angle off the feather so that they were more like pens and made the large A1 study that follows in one sitting, working really quite quickly. I have a thing about crows at the moment from reading Ted Hughes poems of the same name. Dark symbolic creatures. I’m watching them all the time. Drew a ‘Crow Field’ today which I’ll share next. Not sure where this is all going, staying open and seeing what happens as ever.