My first reaction was that this is a huge responsibility – I had to find the right vehicle, a sensitive drawing medium to reflect the nature of the book. I chose mono print because of its sensitive, crumbly line. It is impossible to control exactly how your drawing picks up ink on the reverse. The fact that your drawing is back to front means it looks odd. All these things seemed to resonate with what the dad was suffering, as he progressively lost touch with his mind and his life. That shaky black line had to carry the story, coloured by paint & collage elements digitally layered underneath. I came to understand the real impact of Ross’s story philosophy as I undertook my drawing research.
I spent the English summer of 2015 with my mum in our family home, drawing the cosy years of clutter that have surrounded her since we all lived there. The patterns, fabrics, surfaces that we see every day as children must get embedded into our long term memory. They were the constant background of our growing up. If you were today to see a photo of the wallpaper, kitchen work surface, curtains you had when you were little I think it would unlock a treasure trove of stories you thought you had forgotten. Mum’s house was like that.
