Lily Proctor

Rough and Formless

2D Studio Art - Painting & Drawing

My body of work consists of abstract color and mark making that is inspired by introspection and memories. Growing up I moved around a lot, having possessions split between parents, so I didn’t have a sense of home. I moved through places so it made sense to me to not become attached to a house or neighborhood, to not bother with making memories since it seemed pointless. After finding my own space, I felt that I was able to make my own home which drew me to introspection about myself and the past. I’m not interested in a sequence of events or actions, instead I like to reflect on the feelings and reactions they spurred.

These reflections are drawn as a space focusing on colors and mark making. A drawing is not a complete illustration of an introspection, instead many are reactions or afterthoughts running through multiple pieces. Using a more freehanded, spontaneous style like this feels more genuine to me and helps bring out the more reactionary nature of the subject matter. I use a dry medium to easily add or take away from a piece and to have a more literal hands-on approach to drawing. This approach gives me focus and I feel more ingrained in the work and subject matter. I often drew with charcoal and pastels growing up so using them now helps bring up memories of art to draw upon. I draw some inspiration from the artist Odilon Redon whose works brought a sense of wonder from its fantasy subjects and bright colors. These reactions will continue to influence my works and act as a sort of journal of introversion.