When I first saw the work of drawing artist Joan Wadleigh Curran I felt
trapped...in a very good way. Curran takes as her subject matter from objects and
places that most people would steer away from—dirty trash bags snagged on a
chain link fence; twisted and bent barbed wire surrounded by torn and pierced
chicken wire. It doesn't sound pretty, but Curran makes it all so visually
interesting that you get caught up in the work for more time than you might
realize. That reaction speaks to the artist's drawing techniques and prowess
with composition.
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| Fence by Joan Wadleigh Curran, charcoal drawing on paper, 30 x 22, 2009. |
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First, Curran's drawing paper holds a lot of depth on its
flat surface, predominately because she knows how to draw layers of marks in a
subtle way. There is a wide range of gradation represented in the works, and
learning to draw that way is something I admire because I know how difficult it
can be (at least for me). Curran will also tone her paper to give the sense of
an amorphous environment just out of focus in the background of a work, or
she'll include segments of objects seen from off-kilter vantage points to
expand the sense of space.
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Wreath by Joan Wadleigh Curran,
charcoal drawing on paper, 30 x 22, 2009. |
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What I am particularly ensnared by in Curran's work is her
compositional forms. She creates such interesting shapes out of objects that
seem to have such a fixed form. Fencing, trash bags, barbed wire—these aren't
things that come in varied shapes and sizes. But in Curran's world, lines of
fencing or wire are bound and knotted together or bend and curve around each
other to create unusual shapes so much so that you start to forget what the
forms started as.
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Trap by Joan Wadleigh Curran, charcoal
drawing on paper, 32 x 28, 2004. |
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If you want to see more of Curran's work and read up on her drawing instruction, you are in luck.
She—and several other standout artists—are featured in the
Summer 2012 issue of
Drawing magazine, which you could
have in your hot little hands once you sign up for
your
subscription. I can't recommend it more—it is one of the few magazines I read
cover to cover for tips on how to draw and to see all the incredible works on paper being created. Enjoy!
