Forming a Line brings together two artists based in Manchester and Todmorden who are both using the immediacy of drawing to explore open-ended processes and narratives.
Rachael Elwell’s work explores the connections between line, form and space through a set of drawing processes and systems. Elwell focuses on the dynamic between chance, control and structure in the composition of her images. Often presented in series, they are random, generative and transformative, with the final result an unknown entity until the process is complete. Elwell has recently graduated from an MA in Contemporary Fine Art at University of Salford. She has exhibited widely across the UK and undertaken a number of European residencies.
Tom Harnett O’Meara’s selection of recent and new black and white drawings are intertwined with a sense of narrative. As he creates them, stories issue forth about the characters and the places they inhabit, linking together in unusual ways across pictures. Sometimes during breaks between drawing he will writedown these strange tales. O’Meara’s inspiration comes from art nouveau, Japanese prints, Indian art, and the fine draughtsmen of Victorian illustration. His drawings have been exhibited at select venues in Manchester, and he has been published in several magazines.