This week is another exciting week on the UK's road map to normality. I hope that many of you are making plans to meet friends and family with a spot of cautious hugging all round. I appreciate that some of you will be busy out and about with no time for drawing, and that's absolutely fine. For those of you who might fancy a little sketching to keep you occupied (me) or from feeling overwhelmed with all the changes (also me), I thought it might be fun to loosen up with some shapes.
Circles and stripes feature in all kinds of artwork; naturalistic or abstracted. It's up to you if you want to doodle away with these shapes in colours, or pencil shades of grey, or set up a more considered still life featuring objects that match these shapes.
I've popped some visual ideas below with several links to take you to more in-depth articles and images. I've also included a virtual tour of the DAZZLE + DISRUPT exhibition at Quay Arts which shows the drama, impact and visual power of stripes.
Egon Schiele | Seated Woman, Back View | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org)
Wassily Kandinsky 1922 Light Circle | Yale University Art Gallery
Shaker Circular Rug, 1935/1942 Watercolour and Graphite
Shaker Circular Rug (nga.gov) Courtesy of the Washington National Gallery of Art
The Red School House, 1873
The Red School House (nga.gov) Courtesy of the Washington National Gallery of Art
Further reading and Inspiration
The Dazzle and Disrupt exhibition is now open again (hooray!) at Quay Arts in Newport or you can view a (very good) virtual tour on line with a lot of information about Dazzle camouflage and how it influenced the two exhibiting artists. DAZZLE + DISRUPT | Quay Arts
Take a look at the stunning pastel patterns of Hilma af Klint Hilma af Klint: 6 Facts About A Pioneer In Abstract Art (thecollector.com)
Patrick Heron 1920–1999 | Tate
Be inspired by artists exploring shape, colour and abstraction in this curated collection at MoMA 505: Circa 1913 | MoMA
Bridget Riley born 1931 | Tate
Ben Nicholson OM 1894–1982 | Tate
Alan in a stripy chair - drawing from my sketchbook last year.