Where artists share their process

Sketched publishes essays, interviews and videos, as well as limited edition prints, to give people the opportunity to learn from a sweep of world-renowned artists and designers. Providing new ways to understand how artists work; to discover their motivation, process and inspiration’,

Maggi Hambling 6am is a group of nine drawings, bearing witness to a daily act. An early riser, Hambling starts each day in the studio with a drawing – applying black ink straight from the dropper of the bottle onto a blank page. The ink hits the paper in unrepeatable, inerasable formations. The results are unpremeditated, like thoughts still forming – sometimes cohering, often remaining indeterminate. Typically, the marks vary in density and tempo, from black rivulets to flickering impressions. In her desire to allow things to happen, she surrenders control – drawing with her ‘untrained’ left hand and sometimes closing her eyes. The guiding (constraining) effects of style and close looking are held at bay. 

Behind the scenes

As part of the Sketched collection, we visited Maggi in her own studio to discover more about her as a person and the creative process behind her work. This conversation became our 6am short film.

Deliberately raw and honest, the film is shot in a way that showcases not only the person behind the art, but also the way in which the work is created.