For Shefali’s workshop we gathered at the Centre for Drawing, where Shefali instructed us to work in silence whilst we drew directly onto the floor. We were given tea and snacks and told that when we hear the alarm we were to go on a silent break whilst refreshing our senses.
There was also a table filled with bags of brightly coloured sand along side these there were cups and spoons in which to use as we filled the drawing with the sand.
So the timer began and we went off to draw in a group onto the floor. It quickly became apparent that people were working in pairs depending on where they were in the drawing. We were each observing which mark one person was making so the other could respond to it in a similar way.
The drawing quickly became very large and left us with very little space to fit around it. We then began to use the sand and fill the line drawing with colour. The silence was very lovely to have in the group. It became a shared feeling, and allowed us to enjoy the meditative inner world that drawing is so closely related to. The sound of the sand added to the therapeutic nature of the workshop and was very calming too. The entire group was very good at working independently on each bit of the drawing, becoming decisive and focsed within their very movements.
The use of silence when working is very important to me in drawing. It helps me to access more space in my mind and leads to me to come up with more innovative ways that I can progress my work.