Keith Cunningham’s studies and sketches, created in pencil, charcoal, ink and pastel, form a crucial part of his practice, revealing the private workings of an artist deeply invested in process, structure and material. This collection of drawings offer insight into Cunningham’s methods of observation and composition, showing how ideas were tested, refined and resolved through drawing alone. Many of these works are small in scale, direct and unpolished, but never casual. They tend to reflect a rigorous economy of means: a few lines, tonal blocks, or gestures that can carry surprising clarity. Figures, heads, objects, interiors and landscapes all appear, sometimes recognisable, often pared down to the edge of abstraction.

Cunningham’s line is exacting but never rigid. His handling of tone shows a deep sensitivity to weight, balance and contrast.These studies are not just a tool for visual exploration, but an investigation into ways of thinking. The sketch becomes a site of decision-making, where intuition and discipline meet. Together, these drawings form a parallel narrative to his larger collection of drawings and paintings. They speak of an artist constantly observing, refining and reducing, but also of someone who found in drawing a space of immediacy, focus and discovery. For viewers, they offer a valuable point of access into Cunningham’s process, and a chance to engage with his work in its most distilled and intimate form.