Margaret Phelan - CCAD Masters by Research Student
"All my work is based on mark-making. A dot, begins a mark, begins a line that opens the door to a creative
pool of meaning, not just by the act of the hand but the pouring of ink and the acceptance of the surface to
the ink, to the mark or line all in concert with the creative source. If the surface is damp, the ink dances on
the surface and explodes across the space as if it delights in its own expression released into the material
world just like the natural world delighting in its own life force."
Margaret Phelan is an artist who describes drawing to be at the heart of her practice. Margaret is currently partaking in the MA by Research course offered by Crawford College of Art & Design, after graduating from CCAD in 2019 with Honours in Fine Art.
Margaret is currently researching under the title of Drawing Intuition: exploring the value of direct engagement in 21st Century art practice which allows her to explore topics such as drawing in a technologically advanced age and question where drawing as a human process fits into this world of Art Design and Architecture. Margaret also wonders about drawing and its connection to the human brain – where does our urge to draw come from, and how is the brain impacted by stimulants such as music and drawing.
For Margaret, drawing is her method of exploring the nature of mark-making. She sees the act of drawing and creation a separate force yet at the same time in concert with the artist –a symbiosis between the artist, materials and process; one cannot create without the other. Margaret’s passion and understanding of drawing can be recognised in her own words “A dot, begins a mark, begins a line that opens the door to a creative pool of meaning”.
Images by: Margaret Phelan