The work submitted here reflects my engagement with recording live action as it occurs. I act as a fly on the wall. My work , unlike photography, captures minutes and hours as opposed to fractions of a second . One individual may appear several times in one drawing as they move through their working day. Similarly a person may be given three arms as he/she manipulates and wields a tool. The passing of time from moments to days is thus recorded.

With regard to the drawings of archaeological excavations the parallel of passing time intrigued me as did the comparison between archaeological drawings and artists’ drawings.
Hence the decision to employ graph paper as a medium for the two Stonehenge Riverside Project pieces. The Chester Roman Amphitheatre drawing looks at archaeological drawing and measurement techniques.

-Julia Midgley, 2007

Biography

Julia Midgley is an artist / printmaker. As a figurative artist, she works predominantly on paper drawing subject matter from direct observation. Reportage and Printmaking are specialisms.

Drawing is the bedrock of Julia’s activity. Documentary drawing / illustration has a unique role today, reflecting the meaning and significance of seemingly everyday experiences. A very British genre it originates from the tradition of sending artists to war zones.

The drawings capture minutes and hours as opposed to the fractions of a second caught by a camera. An individual may appear several times in one composition. Similarly a person may be given three arms as he/she manipulates and wields a tool. Tools and results of effort are traced as time progresses. The passing of time from moments to complete days is thus recorded producing not only an archive but also a narrative. When drawing archaeological excavations the parallel of passing time intrigued as did the comparison between methods and appearances of archaeological and artists’ drawings. Thus graph paper became the medium for some of the Stonehenge Riverside Project pieces

She is a member and past Vice President of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers, and Reader in Documentary Drawing at Liverpool School Art & Design, L.J.M.U.

For more information on Julia's work please see: www.juliamidgley.co.uk