Craig Quarry 1973

Malcolm Rice made this drawing of Craig Quarry in 1973. It is a pencil drawing of these geometric blocks of stone, somewhere between architecture and pure form. It’s like the artist is walking a tightrope between the real and the imagined, between a close observation of the world and a visionary architecture. I can imagine Malcolm Rice working on this, carefully shading each block to create a sense of depth and weight. Look at the ladders going up and up. They're so carefully rendered, yet feel precarious, like a drawing by Piranesi. It's like the artist is in conversation with all these past artists, riffing off their ideas and adding something new. The feeling in this drawing is what stays with you, it’s not so much about what is depicted, but how it is depicted – this is the essence of drawing and painting: a deep, ambiguous record of feeling.