Liz Myhill

My work is driven by the spontaneous nature of being outside drawing on location, there is always the thrill of possibility and new discoveries even when visiting places I know well. The experience of spending time observing may be as little as a fleeting glimpse of wildlife which etches itself into my memory and is quickly sketched out or a place known all of my life and returned to numerous times with full drawing kit.

A wonderful childhood in the Scottish Hebrides has instilled within me a love of wildlife and  remote or rugged land and seascapes in which I continue to spend much of my time. I’ve since been fortunate to spend time drawing in many other places such as the characterful backstreets of Cuba or busting marketplaces in India but it is always a sense of solitude in the landscape that pulls me back home.

Working outside and often carrying a heavy backpack for long distances over rough terrain means choosing the right drawing kit is essential. Pastels are invaluable as they allow me to work so quickly, laying down broad expanses of colour or making fast, gestural marks . The process of working in the field is very intuitive and responsive, there is an urgency to get things down on paper before they disappear or change and I find myself completely absorbed. I work in a sketchbook at times but regularly take large sheets or rolls of paper and drawing board out and many works are completed in situ.

Back in the studio the drawings hold so many memories and bring me straight back to the experience of place as I look at them pinned up on the wall. I might choose to develop some of these and experiment with different mark making or ideas. It’s a constantly evolving process and like every journey with the sketchbook or drawing board I’m excited to see where it will take me and what is around the next corner.