Drawings From The Drawer

Drawings From The Drawer

Drawings from the drawer are a collection of croquis miniatures in square formats (approx. 5 x 5 cm), drawn with thin markers. A good croquis drawing requires a skilled artist with a mastery of line, proportion, perspective, and anatomy. The name of the technique comes from a french word for sketch and it is usually compared with one. However, croquis is not an equivalent of a sketch, although it resembles it. Croquis contains significantly fewer lines than a sketch, but these lines must permeate the very essence of the scene you are trying to “catch”, and this is what makes it a virtuoso skill. Besides, the time frame of its creation is extremely short, and the goal is to catch a snapshot in everyday life in an effort to capture the uniqueness of the moment we find, that is, which finds us. That makes croquis a good indicator of one’s speed of reaction. On the other hand, it is an especially nonchalant and relaxing technique since it doesn’t require an atelier, special materials, or tools – all you need is a simple drawing pad and a marker.

For over ten years, Alma has been drawing croquis from time to time, which had resulted in a significant amount of drawings of very diverse contents. What connects them into a theme is the impression of a personal diary that was and still is created in everyday life situations. Her intention is also indicated in the process of her work. Each frame she makes for a drawing is unique: in cutting a drawing from a drawing block and using the papier-mâché technique to put it on a wooden base (carpentry rests of beech, ash, pine) there is no cold and precise geometric system of right angles. We can see a raw expression without measurement as well as improvisation; the work is aligned with a current feeling, and the mistake is nurtured as a building element of the composition, as part of the personality and identity. From ferry travels, vedutas, landscapes, walks, squares, interior drawings, shadows, people passing by, portraits and social gatherings atmospheres, performed unpretentiously in the spirit of a comic book artist, Drawings from the drawer are a rich collection of artist’s intimate notes.