DRAWINGS & PAINTINGS: March Edition

Apr 13
3 min read

A Note From Harry

Sorry about missing the last two months, I had a heart attack! I had to spend a couple of weeks in hospital - an experience I wouldn’t wish on anybody. Usually in such a circumstance I would draw in my sketchbook and actually enjoy it, it’s a place where you come across some strange looking characters. But I was too ill to draw most of the time.

I feel a lot better now, back to work, and with a strong sense of the preciousness of health and purpose.

One of the odd things I first noticed was how strange and distant I felt from the work I had left in progress. I could remember doing it, and the technical processes, but it seemed almost to have been somebody else’s work, and I had to reacquaint myself, not only with the making, but also with the motivations and interests which had driven it. Perhaps I’d got some good sense at last!

However after a few days everything seemed normal again and I started enjoying painting as before.

What I am working on this month

I’ve been drawing, of course. I have a model one or two afternoons a week. I’ve been doing this for many years and I’m always surprised at how I’m constantly finding character when I’m only looking for form. What I mean is that the accidental or variant marks you make reveal something about the appearance or personality of the model that you hadn’t seen before. I’ve remarked on this already particularly in relation to people you know well who seem different when you start to look at them with some purpose, as when making a drawing.

Also, I’m constantly amending or refining paintings I'm working on and the best way to do this is by drawing, since it’s easier to keep changing your mind with pencil and paper than on canvas.

Studio Insight

I work on a number of things at once, working on ideas and images until a point comes where I have to decide to take it forward to the finished painting. What makes me decide which to finish (or try to) is something of a mystery to me. Some seem to naturally flow from start to finish and others remain in this indeterminate no man’s land, while others can wait around until I try something that makes them come alive.

For example, these have been sitting around for many years, and I don’t know what’s holding me back from finishing.

This one, on the other hand, got to a point where I lost interest and abandoned it.

And these, with a hiccup or two on the way, just flowed through

Harry Holland - Drawings

The book Drawings continues to bring together work from across my career — from early sketches to more developed studies, offering a broader view of how I approach making images.

It also includes an essay reflecting on the role of drawing today, and how it continues to shape the way I work.

Order Your Copy

Drawings Available

A selection of original drawings remains available to view and purchase through the website. These works ranging from quick studies to more considered pieces, form the backbone of my practice.

Drawing is where ideas begin, but it is also something complete in itself. There is a directness to it that painting sometimes loses along the way.

For those interested in collecting, these drawings offer a more immediate connection to the work ,closer to the moment they were made.

View available drawings via the website.

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Looking Ahead

April! Spring!

A bit of a joke given our weather of the last few months but in any case I’m not much affected by it since I rarely stick my head outside during working hours. It affects my wife’s mood since she loves being outside and is inclined to blame me if the weather doesn’t allow it. Otherwise the seasons don’t play any role in my working process. Even those of my paintings set outside are either in sunshine or a rather indeterminate, warmish climate. Occasionally, they can be a bit misty.