Lian Callaghan: Peann Luaith

When I opened my Moleskin notebook to begin the Notebook Project I didn’t have a particular plan in mind. I had my pencils, and they became the plan. My project became the making of a visual record of how I value them; memories and thoughts that are sparked by looking at them, handling them and using them.

Pencils last. A lead might sometimes get broken, but pencils do not dry up like markers or biros. If you use up a pencil it means that you’ve really liked it, had reason to use it a lot, until it’s a short stub hardly big enough to hold.

I like to sharpen my pencils the old way. A sharp blade. Methodical turning and paring away of the slivers of smooth wood. A quickened pace then, but watchful, sharpening the lead to a fine new point. Satistfaction guaranteed.

I have some pencils that I bought in a small art shop that used to be in Molesworth Street, close to the College of Art in Dublin. These few pencils are probably my favourites, being connected to that time when I was young, discovering life, loving art. Their outsides are striped in two tones showing the pencil’s colour and indicating that they are watercolour, which seemed quite exotic to me then. They’ve got a rich, generous depth of colour. They have travelled with me, been part of my drawing over many years, many places, many sketchbooks. Inevitably, they are quite short now, and I ration their use for the time being so that there is still some mileage left in them.

Others I like for different reasons. Some have intriguing and quirky branding and descriptions, or are strange sizes and unusual shapes. But for the Notebook Project I picked pencils from the whole lot, good, bad and indifferent, in no particular order. I didn’t want to control what went with what, or only use the ones that I rate. It was unexpectedly absorbing spending time looking at each pencil’s branding, something that normally goes unnoticed. There is wonderful intricacy in the small embossed gold marks. I wondered at the origins of the tiny jousting figures and other company emblems, and noticed changes made that tell the tale of companies amalgamating and rebranding.

I was tempted to pursue some of the stories encapsulated in the brands, but time caught up with me and I had to finish and send off my notebook. I didn’t get through all of my pencil collection but look forward to revisiting the project in the future.