Thank you to everyone who visited the Gallery for the January Conversation With The Artist. This month, the event was slightly different as we held a panel discussion with four practicing artists, Amanda Palmer (winner of DRAW25), EVES (winner of the Wisbech Gallery Open 2025), Tim Mann (Blackfield Creatives Director), and Ruby Bellamy (Wisbech Gallery Manager), to discuss ‘What Is Drawing?’ 

Scroll for a summary of the evening’s discussion and a selection of images presented…

Throughout the talk, a selection of images were discussed, each submitted by the panel as examples of the many forms that drawing could take. While traditionally pen and ink or pencil would be considered when drawing is questioned, the audience and panel identified artworks where mediums such as paint, thread, wire, or even the environment around us had been used to create drawn images. 

At its core, drawing is a chance to play with ideas. This may be through exploring new subjects, developing skills or studies, or trying out new mediums. Drawing often comes with more freedom than that of a finished artwork – this may be from a lack of pressure to create a finished piece, or it may be from the experimental nature of drawing. These feelings often mean that drawing is used as a foundation for ideas to be developed later. 

DRAW26 intentionally is open to a multitude of mediums, so that artists can decide what constitutes a drawing – as artists, we all draw, think, and play in different ways and it is important to recognise this. If an artists’ intention behind an artwork is to create a drawing we could accept that piece within DRAW26. 

A theme that was revisited throughout the talk was ideas around mark making. The act of mark making is essential to drawing, working with line to create structure or form, which could be achieved using any number of mediums. As a result of these conversations written word as line and mark making were considered and suggested as parallel to drawing, if not the same. 

To conclude, the panel and audience did not reach a definite answer to ‘What Is Drawing?’ As artists we question the boundaries and traditions of all things, including drawing. In theory you can draw with anything, onto anything. As with all great art, the discussion of ‘What Is Drawing?’ comes down to personal preference and what an artists’ intention is while they create a drawing. 

‘The Artist defines what a drawing is.’ – Tim Mann. 

Artist Note: The only restriction for DRAW26 is that all artworks submitted to the exhibition must be original artwork. Meaning we cannot accept prints from a repeat series, and any artwork that is printed must be a one off. 

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