Ann Bridges
THE QUEUE
17 – 27 MAY 2023
‘I start a drawing with an idea in mind of what it will look like but by the time it’s finished it will have become something entirely different to what I’d first thought of’.
THE QUEUE
Over the past year or so Ann has been making a series of black and white drawings featuring ornaments from charity shops. The objects will all eventually be returned to the shelves but Ann admits that having held and drawn them they’ve become a bit too familiar to part with just yet. Quite a few of the dolls and figurines have been drawn over and over again, popping up several times in the pictures that are on show in the exhibition.
‘I started a drawing called The Queue shortly after the media coverage of the Queen’s Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall. I added a figure or two every day for a couple of months, thinking as I drew, about people briefly stopping to pay their respects before moving on. Having reached the end of the concertina sketchbook (thirty five A5 pages) I decided to draw The Back of the Queue. Each figure was observed and drawn again as if I was an onlooker behind them. A few extra ‘people’ managed to slip in along the way! Discovering a little Paddington model (for 50p) was a delight as he simply had to feature somewhere in the story. I’ve no idea why a Dalek joined the queue but no one seemed to mind.’
Ambiguous or slightly sinister scenarios can be spotted in some of the other drawings in the exhibition. At first glance everything is benign but a closer look might reveal some tension.
Ann studied Illustration at the North Wales College of Art and Design (Glyndwr University) and after graduation worked as Artist in Residence at Chester Zoo.
Arts Council of Wales funding enabled Ann to undertake further drawing projects including ‘Spinning a Yarn,’ a series of illustrations that observed the lifecycle of the silk moth.
In 2021 two of her drawings titled Pants in a Pandemic were selected and shortlisted for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.
Events:
PV Thursday 18 May 6-8pm
Artist talk:There will be an opportunity to ask Ann questions and discover more about the drawings on Saturday 20 May from 2.00 to 3.30pm.
Ann will be drawing in the gallery on May Tues 23, Weds 24 and Thurs 25 from 10.30am-3.30pm.
Drawing from observation with Ann
Join her for a drop-in drawing session on Weds 24 May from 2.00-4.00pm for some hints and tips on drawing from observation.
