Since March, when Lockdown happened, I’ve been doing a lot of drawing! I’m delighted to share some of my work with you. This work is such an uncanny step back to my art style 20 years ago when I was a 16 year old school pupil. I was known in school for being the “One Who Drew With Biro”. When it was our leaving day, instead of simply writing a message on friends’ shirts (tradition in my old high school), I got asked to draw on their shirts!
Lockdown has made a lot of us nostalgic, and strangely for me, I’ve rekindled this old drawing style of mine that feels so familiar and innate. A lot of my drawings are inspired by my old home town, Sheringham. My dad was a crab fisherman and crabs were a very familiar sight in his shed! The Whelk Coppers and the Town Clock are iconic buildings in this North Norfolk seaside town.
Along with drawing, I’ve also been doing a lot of walking too! The stunning Angel statue was an amazing discovery in a Victorian cemetery in Norwich. She is as striking in real life as in the drawing, and a complete surprise when you come across her in the Rosary Cemetery. Similarly, the Norwich Lanes drawing was inspired by one of my walks around the city. With so few people out and about, suddenly the architecture is so much more visible and Norwich is a Fine City for old buildings!
These drawings have received so many positive comments on social media and I want to thank everyone who has sent me a kind message of support, or has liked and reacted. I’m on Instagram @natalieknowlesart, Facebook and Twitter (links are on this website).
It has also been fantastic to participate in online exhibitions as part of The Lonely Arts Club during Lockdown. Do check out the website to view the In-Situ, Limitations and upcoming Emergence exhibition.
Natalie Knowles 