A day of drawing with wire

 A trip to an art gallery? Oh yes please! A mooch through all the arty books in a bookshop? But of course....

I'm interested in art, so why was I always so awful at the subject  at school? Well, I've never been handy with my hands, and paint never seemed to go where I wanted to. Slapdash and inept. Drawing was a no no too...I could weep when I see a beautiful drawing , knowing that I could never ever create a thing of beauty.

I was talking about this very subject a few weeks back at one of our book group lunches.
"Nonsense!" said Sue firmly..."Everyone can draw".
"Mnmm, I thought, "not quite everyone." Sue was a fine art lecturer at one of our local universities and she's a very talented artist who is adamant that anyone could produce something.

So that's why on Friday morning, there was a knock on the door and in walked Sue with plastic boxes full of stuff, ribbon beads, you name itshe brought it. And four of us settled down in my dining room on a dull and wet day, for a drawing with wire workshop. No paint, just wire, pins, and paper. Oh, plus coffee, tea , a banana loaf and a batch of  biscuits I'd  knocked up an hour before,to kick off the session.

Sue showed us the basic technique, of drawing an outline, or using a templateof a fish, flower, insect, whatever we chose...and showed us some she had made earlier....



















We set to work with a will, laying wire on paper, using pins to anchor the wire. Josephine in green , chose a chicken, Laura who isn't photographed, chose to do a dragonfly....

And I chose a goose





You're probably laughing....it doesn't resemble any goose that I've seen walking around, but do you know what?  I don't care, it was such a relaxing, carefree hour, not thinking of anything else, just sitting quietly with my friends, creating something. And that's the whole point according to Sue, who says drawing with wire is an alternative way of drawing which takes away your inhibitions.

It was the process that was the interesting part....and we couldn't believe an hour had flown when we stopped for more coffee and cake.







 

Sue was right, it was lovely to just create something,  and she has promised me that she will get me drawing. And I think that she will do. Although I can't forget that "oh, I can't do this because I'm not good at it" feeling that I constantly had during art lessons at school, I'm not let it going to stop me actually trying from now on. And if others want to laugh at my goose or whatever else I produce, let them.

 

Besides I have every confidence in Sue....her paintings are beautiful and just take a look at what she does with her wirework.

 

 

 

And two of my favourite pieces are these....ethereal, wirework sculptures mounted on wood which, inspired by seed heads from Sue's garden, sway like flowers in the breeze.

I think they are breath taking...

 

 

Sue regularly exhibits her work and runs workshops and you can e mail her at suehague@btinternet.com

 

In the meantime, it may take some time before I can stun you with something of mine which is as captivating, but I'm going to be having fun!