Liz Ware
50cm x 70cm
Title Lifeline
‘Lifeline’ explores the importance of having a strong ‘outside’ and vibrant ‘inside’ during a period of profound change in my life; I drew and doodled. Every doodle started with angry dark circles but morphed into meditative and rhythmic ovals. As I drew, I thought about the responsibility I feel for elderly parent care as the oldest sibling and only daughter in a patriarchal family. I realised I’m dropping expectations I’ve absorbed and setting new ‘rules’ of shared responsibility that allow me to care while keeping my ‘inside’ nourished. As I ‘scribbled’ I found myself enjoying the combination of white/black/red. It reminded me of Japanese Enso meditation.
Enso relies on one decisive brush stroke on the outbreath to express the state of the artist in the moment. This didn’t fit with the far from decisive experience of learning to set new ‘rules’ for myself. . The imperfections of the print as the roller juddered around the centre felt right. Trusting in my initial drawings, I decided to use an oval for the ‘outside’. To create a rich, nature-nourished ‘inside’ I used vegetables as printing tools and chose red oil-based ink. Slices of cauliflower and pepper symbolised the importance of breathwork, meditation, nourishing walks in woodland, and time on my allotment.
During Enso meditation, an open or incomplete circle expresses the beauty of imperfection. ‘Lifeline’ remains open at its base as my new ‘rules’ are still in the making.
“ I’ve realised during the OFCAD year that it’s fine to experiment. I’ve begun to understand the importance of drawing daily. I’m slowly becoming more familiar with my materials. I’ve always enjoyed Art History, but OFCAD has added another layer of interest. I look more closely and think more deeply about the artist’s creative process.”