Jon Barraclough

My work explores the histories and romances embedded in ourselves and the elements around us; lithic and non-lithic objects, the sky above, growing and dying forms, events and occurrences, moments, sounds and situations. I aim to bring these subjects and narratives together in a way that might provide insights into a universal interconnectedness and also to try and make some sense of our place in the scheme of things. I invite viewers to experience this work visually, bodily, emotionally - and perhaps spiritually.
 
Drawing is for me an almost daily habit. If I was a writer I’d keep a journal of words. I have broadly developed two kinds of drawing: gathering up and letting go - and both approaches can enjoy equal status. Drawing enables me to document and record but also to imagine and invent.
 
I use a mix of realism, surrealism and abstraction - often allowing the intuitive and the accidental to guide my process. This approach helps to foster a sense of spectral magic, where gravity-defying forms and unexpected images emerge when they are least expected. There is a playful element of illusion, mystery and magic in how I draw that I hope can be witnessed in the work.
 
I use dry (graphite, pigment, pastel, soil and pigment) and wet (watercolour, ink, blending oils) media, trying to exploit their interactions and contradictions. I work on paper although any drawing surface is potentially useful to work on - especially if it’s had another purpose. I’m also seduced by smooth, heavyweight watercolour papers that can be overworked.
 
I also have a collaborative approach and have fashioned lo-fi drawing devices that encourage participatory image making and shared experimentation - often with the presence of music or sound to act as a creative flux. I enjoy working with producers, musicians and composers as partners in image creation in live, performative settings. These focus more on process than outcome - the final work often obliterated or spoiled.