The seven artists met and worked together while on the MA Drawing programme at Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London, having come together to focus on drawing within their practice from a range of backgrounds. The exhibition is the outcome of a project they then developed together in association with the Viarco Pencil Factory, São João da Madeira in Portugal.

Viarco is run by a passionate CEO, José Vieira, who surrounds artists with materials.  He allows and encourages artists to play, discover and challenge, encouraging them to work freely and in turn help Viarco understand artist's needs and behaviour.  A symbiosis is created, born of generosity, work ethic and a sense of curiosity and adventure.  This rare combination created the works in ‘thinking graphite’. 

All of the artists visited the Viarco factory for inspiration, and during the summer of 2019, six of the artists were able to work every day in a designated artist's area at the Viarco Pencil Factory and exploring their own practices through Viarco materials, including vast blocks of graphite almost too big to hold; fine charcoal powder that dissolves in water; water soluble graphite formed into a putty that can be moulded, sculpted and smoothed. The circumstance of the residency, people involved, materials and factory processes started to dictate the work they made. It was as if the materials spoke through the mind of these artists - ‘thinking graphite’. 

Please join us for the exhibition preview on Saturday 14 December 2019 from 12noon until 5pm. During the preview there will be a Drawing Discussion at 3pm, followed by refreshments in the gallery. These events are part of the December Explore Art Trowbridge programme held across Trowbridge by Drawing Projects UK, Trowbridge Town Hall, Trowbridge Museum on Saturday 14 December.

OPENING HOURS: The exhibition will be open on Fridays and Saturdays 12noon until 4pm. Please note that the gallery will be closed from 28 December 2019 and re-opens on 17 January 2020. Works in the exhibition are on show in the public areas of the building throughout January when Miranda's Coffee Shop is open, usually Mondays to Saturdays from 8am to 2pm. Please email to enquire about arranging a visit to the exhibition at other times. 

About the artists in Thinking Graphite:

SARAH DUYSHART: Sarah Duyshart's spatial practice incorporates drawing and sound, often culminating in large-scale site-responsive architectural interventions. Her drawings navigate the structural and sonic, within unbuilt and anatomical landscapes. She has exhibited internationally, including drawing residencies and scholarships in Italy and Tibet. Recipient of Australia's prestigious Anne & Gordon Samstag Scholarship, Sarah graduated from her Masters in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art in 2019.

JANINE HALL: Janine Hall’s work is about shadows, light, reflections and fleeting moments. Studied at the Royal College of art, Wimbledon College of Art (BA Painting and MA Drawing). Short listed to the Pastel Society annual open 2020, lucky enough to be in The Ing Discerning Eye exhibition 2018 and the Lynn Painter Stainers Prize 2019. Recipient of the Marcus Beale Architect’s Drawing Prize 2017.

EMMA LOUISE HOLLAWAY: Emma Louise Hollaway is an artist and art historian concerned with the effects of art history on contemporary practitioners.  Her practice focuses on the relationship between drawing and gender.  She graduated from MA Drawing at Wimbledon College of Arts in 2018 with a Mercers' Arts Prize and has exhibited internationally.

CAROLINE HOLT-WILSON: Concerned with time and space Caroline Holt-Wilson’s extended view of drawing spills readily into 3D form. A recent graduate of MA Drawing at Wimbledon College of Art, her work was included in the Jerwood Drawing Prize exhibition 2017 which was show at Drawing Projects UK in the summer of 2018.

JO LANE: Jo Lane uses drawing to explore social and psychological subjects and it is the foundation of her art practice. She has both studied and exhibited extensively in Australia and in the UK, and has recently completed her Masters of Drawing at UAL and been in both Xhibit and the Hix Awards in 2018 (UK) and Lyn McCrae Drawing Prize and Yering Sculpture Prize in 2019 (Australia). 

ELLIS SCHEER: Ellis Scheer graduated in 2018 with distinction from MA Drawing at University of the Arts London and holds a degree in Fine Arts at Academy Minerva in Groningen, The Netherlands. Drawing and its relation to film, theatre and installation constitute common threads through Ellis' work.

CHARMAINE WATKISS: Charmaine Watkiss is concerned with what she calls ‘memory stories’. She creates these stories primarily through research connected to the African Caribbean diaspora, she then maps the stories onto life sized figures. She draws herself only as a conduit to relay stories which speak about a collective experience. She starts with a theme then allows intuition and a dialogue with the work to take over. She graduated from MA Drawing at Wimbledon College of Arts in 2018, and was selected for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2019 exhibition on show at The Salisbury Museum until 11 January 2020.