Contemporary Markmakers is a group of artists who have been meeting weekly at the Mansion House in Totnes for a very long time, so we mark our 20th anniversary in 2024. In sight: visible, near at hand, close to being achieved or realised. Insight: the ability to gain a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden, understanding of someone or something, perhaps a complicated problem or situation. For the past eighteen months Contemporary Markmakers have been enquiring into the ‘The Art Spirit’ by Robert Henri (1923) who suggests to ‘find out what is really important to you. Then sing your song. You will have something to sing about and your whole heart will be in the singing.’ The topics we have explored include qualities of being, affect, forces of nature, universality, Buddha-nature, memory and time. We have responded to meditation, poetry, music, spoken word, place, memories and dreams. And we have used insight practices; drawing analogs and transcriptions with process led practices to explore what artist John Skinner calls ‘the silent languages of paint’ while including such as drawing, print and textiles. Now we are delighted to offer our InSight exhibition. Our long research into what we mean, feel and express with our marks by this gem of a word has been intriguing. We have ventured out and enquired within, exploring how what we have tripped over resonates with who we are and what is of interest to us now. We learn together, bringing new ideas to the group and experimenting collectively. Sitting around an enormous table we have been known to mark a section of suitably enormous paper, then change seats. And mark a new area with paint or pastel or collage. And link the pieces together with colour and line, stretching over to invade someone else's masterpiece. It teaches us not to be precious or afraid. A mistake cannot be rectified but it can grow into something else entirely. Sometimes something magical. Andy has taken some of these exercise marks and truly injected his own magic, binding we markmakers into a permanent group. This photograph shows just one piece. It explains us more readily than words.