Friday 10 May 2013

Drawing the Line at Gibraltar Point Residency


After months of not working together, we took a week in mid-March to draw on a large scale and spend some time exploring Toronto Island. The drawings took their subject from what we found on the island. It was easy coming together to draw and spend relaxing time catching up and talking about art things ... lots and lots of art things !

It was still cold with winter's snow which made for wonderful sights and sounds.




There were many things to do ... like reading about the Island


and exploring crannies.



We had a huge studio space to ourselves and spent most of our time there.





One permanent Island resident, CJ the cat, visited briefly each day. He was mostly interested in using our outside door to get to the back garden. Otherwise, our studio was our sanctum.



Here are the two large (16 ft long) drawings we produced. 





Friday 21 September 2012

DtL at Nuit Blanche Ottawa September 22nd, 2012


I’VE GOT YOUR BACK

The performance starts when members of the Drawing the Line Collective 
arrange 3 chairs back to back to back on the sidewalk in front of the Ottawa School of Art. Each artist starts a drawing that gets passed to the others. These drawings are contained within three sketchbooks.










Saturday, September 22nd from dusk until dawn
35 George Street sidewalk and in the Ottawa School of Art


Then the performance moves into the School and the audience is invited to draw. A long roll of paper is stretched around the perimeter of the studio. DtL members and visitors alike work on large wall drawings. Visitors to Studio 405 play music, dance and draw all night ! 






A DtL performance of collective drawing for Nuit Blanche Ottawa 2012












NUIT BLANCHE OTTAWA 2012


http://nuitblancheottawa.ca
http://www.facebook.com/NuitBlancheOttawa
http://www.artottawa.ca



Sunday 28 August 2011

Members of Drawing the Line draw for the sake of drawing.


We are process-based looking to enrich our own creative practices through drawing collaboratively and through the nature of our contact with each other. Each of the three artists begins a drawing from her interest, style and approach. The drawing is changed and enriched by the work of the other members who subsequently contribute to it. Participation requires our willingness to relinquish control over each drawing, responding only to the marks on the page when required, thereby allowing the outcome to be shaped by the group.


These are two images of our collectively drawn pieces






Drawings in the Envelope Series (2009-2011) are worked on in private and must satisfy the following parameters:

-- each piece must fit into an 11" x14" envelope;
-- each artist begins a drawing on a support material of her choice using the drawing medium(s) of her choice;
-- each drawing is randomly passed to another group member who responds to the marks on the page;
-- once the second member is finished, the drawing is then passed to the remaining member to add her response;
-- a drawing is complete when the group says it is.

Here are some close-up images from the Envelope Series







The Tell Us Series (February 2011) provided another approach. The drawings came out of our curiosity to see what would happen when each of us, using the same source material, followed three basic rules: the drawings would not exceed a certain size, we would make fifteen of them and we would use some elements from the same source package.










The Tell Us drawings


The Tell Us series grew out of a curiosity to see what would happen when each of us, using the same source material, followed three basic rules: the drawings would not exceed a certain size, we would make fifteen of them and we would use some element from the promotional package in each drawing.

Our source material was an advertisement featuring romping dolphins. We were sure the drawing would be very different. And so they are.


Drawing the Line Collective
Spring 2011





As a group, we also engage in making large drawings. These are created both privately, with each member working on it without the others present, or with the others present in a private setting, or with all the members working on one drawing in a public setting.

Our drawing process encourages each of us to stretch beyond our comfort zones. We surrender control of our work and in return we find creative stimulation, spontaneous expression, and a greater willingness to experiment.







In August  2011, we had a showing of our collectively made drawings 
at the Blink Gallery in Ottawa


DRAWING THE LINE COLLECTIVE




DRAWING THE LINE AT BLINK

Katie Argyle, Gail Bourgeois & Shirley Yik

Invite you to join them at Blink Gallery for an exhibition of their collective drawings. The artists will be at the gallery each day to greet and draw with you.

When: August 4 to August 07
Hours: Friday 1 – 6; Saturday 12 - 5; Sunday 12- 5
Opening: Thursday 6 – 9

Special event: during opening hours the artists will respond with live drawing to the architecture and to the presence of the visitors in the gallery.

www.blinkgallery.ca


Over the duration of the exhibition, the collective members engaged in continuous drawing that responded to the gallery space and to our engagement with the gallery visitors. Paper for these drawings was affixed to selective wall areas within the gallery.

Here are three drawings we created in the gallery.




  
What we create as a group would never be made by us as individuals.

Here are some pictures taken during our exhibition.