Ariana Luca
A Glimpse of a Process
27.05.20 – 13.06.20

‘A Glimpse of a Process’ is a series of works on paper that explore the process of constructing an abstract composition. Through these works I explore how a drawing can reflect and capture an artist’s movements, gestures, decisions and ideas within the surface of the paper. In this series, the composition of each work has been improvised, with each shape and gesture added without any preplanned idea of how the final drawing would appear. I create layered nonrepresentational drawings using watercolour, gouache, pencil, and pastel on paper. For some works I use large sheets of paper, which I sit and stand on as I draw. As I move around the work, my movements are directly captured in charcoal and pastel smudges, fingerprints and footprints. I also create smaller drawings, which condense these large gestures into more carefully constructed abstract compositions. As the works unfold over time, they each become layered with both controlled and contingent mark making. With each gesture, my level of intention fluctuates as moments of chance and spontaneity appear alongside carefully painted abstract details. I am interested in prompting the viewer to deconstruct these gestures and consider how each mark has accumulated over time. As they progress, the drawings record each moment in the history of their own making. Each work captures my continually evolving practice of creating endless iterations of abstract shapes and patterns.