Anna Fadeley

Pen & Ink

     I was a painter for over thirty years, and I loved every minute of it! Then one afternoon, when packing up from a craft show, my body spoke to me saying, “I can no longer do this job”.   

So at the end of that year, I sold all my pottery equipment and bought paper and some pens. The result is what you see here.

To do these drawings, I begin drawing lines here and there using pencil. I have no plan or subject in mind. I just draw lines. Sometimes I don’t like a line I have drawn, and I erase it. I draw the designs, deciding what I think might look good. My drawings consist of flowing, curvilinear shapes adorned with intricate patterns, including spirals, dots, and stripes. The shapes are connected by central, sinuous lines that intertwine and balance the composition. At some point, I start to see things in the design, and it continues to evolve. On close look, I see shapes that remind me of something, and I expand on that. Finally, once satisfied, I go over the design with ink. The overall result is organic yet ornamental, combining natural elements with decorative motifs.

I hope you enjoy these drawings as much as I had making them.