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This drawing is based on the only surviving canvas of a 4-canvas work done 36 years ago which was titled ¨Return Of The Repressed¨, So I added the words ¨Repressed¨ ¨Survived¨ ¨Seeking Refuge¨ to mark the link between the two. I´m referring to a dumb painting and an even dumber drawing here but the real repressed, survivors and seekers of refuge are those desperate people crossing the Mediterranean in makeshift boats right now, and if they´re lucky, manage to reach the Sicilian shoreline.
The title is Refugee Drawing.

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I don´t remember what I was thinking of back in 1988 when I made the canvas. Never mind, I take up the formal proposition of concentric rectangles. Not sure if I can use that term to describe a series of rectangles within other rectangles, starting inner small and building outwards.

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It´s a sort of rectangular spiral in a way that connects to the first drawing.

Beginning second drawing

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Very loosely following the rectangular format of the painting.

Return Of The Repressed (surviving fragment)

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One of my big regrets is not being able to make art that people like. Therefore, as I move countries, I have to find places to store works, and over the years the stores get emptied by their owners, and the works get thrown out. This painting is one of a tiny number I found on my return. It´s the only surviving remnant of a triptych (made of 4 canvases actually) done in 1988. Here´s a photo of the original piece [LINK]. I now keep this in the attic under the thatch so no-one knows it´s there and it won´t be thrown out by somebody (for now).
I thought I´d use this painting as a basis for the 2nd drawing for Trapani.

Wrap-up

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Okay I think I´ll leave it there. There´s no need to complete the final spiral as you get the idea by now. I´ll put it aside at this point and take up drawing number two.
The title of this drawing is Triskelion For Trapani.

Stitch-up

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It´s getting a little boring now this work with needle and thread. I´ll do a little more on the central section and I think I´ll leave the third spiral as it is as I need to move onto the second drawing.

Stitch-Up

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Still can´t find that pencil. A needle and thread will have to do.

Basic construction

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All glued back together and this, I think, is what the drawing will basically look like. I´ll give it a day or so for the glue to dry and see where it gets taken from here.
Triskelion is such a strong graphical device that there´s no point fighting it, I´d never come up with a visual counter-argument to come close to finding a balance. Therefore the only way is to go with the flow and explore, in the hope of coming up with a fresh way of perceiving it.

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Once the rabbit-skin glue dries, I´ll put the spirals back in place.

Building up the spirals

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I want to put the spirals I removed back in place but first I need to make some sort of base to support them.
The Triskele design is so clichéd in my mind that I´m going to be tested to try come up with a version that endows a little ´freshness´ to the image.

Third spiral

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Drawing as in tearing out I suppose. A possible direct way to draw an image from paper.

The first drawing

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Can´t find my pencil. Never mind, I´ll do it this way.

Two 70x50´s

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Triskelion

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Three spirals grouped together radiating from one centre is a design familiar to any Irish person. It´s called a Triskele or Triskelion taken from the Greek word Triskeles meaning ´three legs´. The flag of Sicily also bears a Triskele. Therefore as these drawings are destined for exhibition in Sicily, I figured I´d use the Celtic version as a basis for one.