Blackfriars Bridge

The images of the bridge is an ongoing research project. I lived with my family in the Blackfriars/Petersville area as a child and played near or on the bridge with frequent crossings. The bridge has become a symbol representing indelible memories of a specific time, place and events. Drawings were made on site and also from memory while living in Lahore Pakistan and the impetus was to create a memorable image that came from a longing to connect with home.

The drawings are a history, a record of many ideas I was considering over many years while attempting to realize the one final concept that would be a summary of the various ideas. A decision on the final concept has been made.

The calligraphic drawings are precursors to the bridge and bird drawings. Interest in the relationship or contrast of figure and ground represented by the black marks on a white surface is a tradition that I was aware of in Japanese calligraphy and Chinese landscapes.

The crow or raven is an image that is a common site of the birds perched, in flight or on ground. Paired with the structure of the bridge an image is created that contrasts the animation of nature with the stasis of a functional structure.