Space to draw

Space to Draw, Jerwood Space, 17 january - 10 February.

This is an exhibition by a number of aritists who use drawing as an important part of their working process.


Michael Shaw creates virtual sculptures using CAD, the stills from What Might Be (left) give little hint of the wonderful, mesmeric, three-dimensional movement that flows through this animated piece.


Antony Gormley is showing both two and three-dimensional drawing, Feeling material V is made of a continuous length of square section steel formed to indicate the form of an absent body. It is a superb example of a line 'drawing in space'.





Lounger by Paul McDevitt is based on drawings of sculpures by Henry Moore. His explanation of it as being esentially a linear structure, solid yet light enough to allow a glimpse into the hollow interior. It held a great resonance for me, it has the elegant simplicity of form and yet is formed from a complex intertwining of linear elements - not dissimilar to the formation of lace.

The Lights of West Cornwall

Kurt Jackson at Messum's, London 16th January - 2nd February.
Based on lighthouses and lightships, this exhibition shows a range of Kurts work from rough paper sketches through limited edition etchings to huge canvases priced at £38,000. There are plenty of his classic 'sparkly water' seascapes which are beautiful but I am always drawn to his waves crashing on rocks such as Sunshine on Pendeen Watch, huge seas, deafening. (above) This painting is being sold on behalf of Friends of the Earth, others are being sold for the RNLI.

Kurt has a strong ecological background and sees the lighthouse as a metaphor, 'At the margins of land and water, they are an early warning system of the danger from global warming and rising sea levels.'
Among the smaller works are a number of sketches of Godrevy (pronounced Gud-reevy) Lighthouse worked on pages from Virginia Wolf's To the Lighthouse for which Godrevy was the inspiration.