In May/June of 2023, I spent three weeks at Christ Church, as a sometime resident of the Art Room on a drawing/research project. I am an artist, based in New York City, and my work is inspired by, and relates to architecture. As a student, I never lost my sense of awe at the architecture of Christ Church and I wanted to return to draw particularly the apertures in buildings and our experience of them. As I drew, I came to focus on the effects of light on the open staircases of Tom Quad. The quad becomes a kind of sundial as the day progresses and the shadows shift. Sketches done on-site lead to a series of watercolor studies (some exhibited in the Art Room) and evolved into large scale wall drawings, currently on exhibition at Studio10 Gallery in NYC.

The photos here show the watercolor studies and the current exhibition “In The Dark”. The exhibition is a meditation (in collaboration with four other artists) on darkness, and an exploration of the possibilities of two and three dimensions. My wall drawings are made in graphite and charcoal on Tyvek in my studio, then pasted onto the gallery wall. The discovery of Tyvek as a substrate enabled me to make large works in my studio and install them so that they appear fully integrated into the space. They are also easily removed (and potentially reused) at the end of the exhibition.

Sincerest thanks to Professor Sarah Simblet, and Professor Dirk Aarts – and all at Christ Church – who made it possible, and to the members of the Art Room who made me so welcome.