Since 1965 much of my work as an artist has been in the form of Diaries which reflect my preoccupation with the relationship of word and image. The Diaries juxtapose handwritten and typed text with drawing, collage and photographs.

Some years I work on a page a day (eg the 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975 Diaries); some years it is spasmodic (eg the 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972 Diaries). The 1965 Diary was a minutely detailed drawing-diary on which I worked each day. Sometimes I work in retrospect - ie I may make notes, sketches, negatives, in February which are then worked on and finally realised in July.

And the Diary shuttles backwards and forwards in time up to the present moment. Memory images abound. I may see or hear something today which brings back a memory from years ago, or which relates back to a previous episode recorded in the Diary (thus the Diary feeds and grows on itself). This is not clock time, it is 'personal time'. But this 'personal time' does not move forward beyond the present day. This reflects the attitude of the Diarist: living from day to day, thinking only with difficulty past the end of the week. When the Diary moves from observation to speculation, the speculation is on what might be now, not in the future.

Ian Breakwell
1975