- Sana rose photosKitson's "Dollar"- India ink on Bristol paper, 2002
Sana Rose, Contributor
PATRICK KITSON presents 22 pieces in his exhibition 'Pen and Brushstrokes', now on at the Mutual Gallery. The exhibition consists mainly of small-scale pen and ink drawings/ illustrations and three watercolour paintings. Sitting somewhere between drawing and illustration, Kitson's pieces offer mainly portraits highlighting happier moments of childhood, hints of family and musicians drummers entranced in the act of making music.
The pen has the upper hand in this exhibition as Kitson handles the medium with precision, patience and skill. The three watercolour pieces, weaker than their pen and ink counterparts, fail to capture the essence of the watercolour medium. Kitson's use of watercolour is heavy thereby allowing medium not to function in the true nature of watercolour. He uses it like gouache, a designer's medium, which enables the artist to apply the paint flatly.
Kitson is undoubtedly an excellent draughtsman, evidenced by his ability to draw forms convincingly on a flat plane. He is able to create the illusion of light on form, the textural contrasts of skin as opposed to fabric and capture the facial expressions of his subjects in a given moment. His chiaroscuro technique is especially striking, as the intense light contrasting with the intense dark adds drama to each scene. He balances the white of the paper as intense light and builds up the shadows with numerous crosshatched lines or dots.
Although the artist captured singular moments of his subjects in most pieces, one particular image, cropped more closely than the others, brings together two objects that one would not necessarily expect to see. 'Behind the veil' hints at more than a moment. Its composition comprises a face that looks out at us from behind roots. The unexpected crops up in this piece as the juxtaposition of face and roots release an almost surreal feel, making it especially interesting as it moves beyond Kitson's technical and engages more with an intriguing idea.
Drawing as a medium of expression in and of itself apart from its use as preliminary study, sketch or illustration goes beyond the graphic perspective. There have been only a few artists who specialise in drawing. On the other hand, there have been drawings done by artists skilled in other media that come into their own as works of art. Ras Daniel Hartman and Prudence Lovell come to mind. It is clear that Kitson possesses the skill. If, however, his interest in drawing is greater than technique, it would suit him to push the medium to its limits and embrace deeper conceptual ideas. The outcome of such a venture would propel his work further into language of drawing, and indeed art.
