Fragments of a garden — grazielle portella

Fragments of a garden

I am interested in drawing from life and to observe what happens when you draw outside, how the weather conditions also can be present on the work. These drawings combine a variety of plants, objects, people and trees in my garden in Barcelona, as a reflection of not only what I see in front of me, but also what is above me. It’s an effort of being attentive and observant of the effect that precise moment has on that specific paper. As I draw what I see, I also try to register the ever-moving shadows that the sun projects on the white paper, the effect that wind has on the materials applied on that surface, the rain drops which make the paper wet, or the ‘nothingness’ when the weather is just still (no sun, no wind, no rain). It is a capture of the present moment in essence: the ephemerality of time and the physicality of space.

The pruning of an adult tree
Charcoal and graphite on paper
100 x 70 cm

Rain drops over roots
Graphite powder and graphite on paper
100 x 70 cm

Folliage on the back
Charcoal and graphite on paper
100 x 70 cm

Meanders from the corner of the garden wall
Charcoal and graphite on paper
100 x 70 cm

All got slippery, but it didn’t rain
Charcoal and conté pencil on paper
100 x 70 cm

See trunks, project flowers
Graphite and charcoal on paper
100 x 70 cm