Around the World Blog Hop

8/24/14

Around the world what?

I’d never heard of the Around the World Blog Hop before Joan Tavolott invited me to take part, but if it’s about art and blogs, I’m game! A plein air painter and urban sketcher in New York, Joan is one of the most prolific artists I know! Her daily blog is filled with beautiful watercolor landscapes, urban sketches, portraits and still lifes. Although I have never been to New York, I feel like I get to know a little more about Long Island every day through her delightful sketches and paintings.

After you enjoy Joan’s work, hop over to the blog of Michele Cooper, whom I invited to participate on Jan. 5. A fabulous watercolor painter as well as a teacher for many years, Michele inspires me with her dazzling, light-filled paintings and whimsical journal pages. She’s also an avid urban sketcher with the Whidbey Island Sketchers, Anacortes Sketchers and Urban Sketchers Seattle!

12/16/14

(To see the work of more participants, do a Google search of “Around the World Blog Hop Artists.”)

And now, here are my answers to the hop questions:

What am I working on?

The only art I ever work on is filling my sketchbooks with daily sketches! A writer by trade and an urban sketcher the past three years, my “work” (as it relates to art) consists of thinking about what my next sketch will be – and then sketching it. A secondary part of the “work” is blogging – telling the stories related to the sketches – which I enjoy almost as much as making the sketches. In my mind, the two parts go hand-in-hand: Sketch the story, and then supplement it with words. The result is a thorough documentation of my own creative process over the past three years since I began to draw.

4/17/14

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My work is typical of the urban sketching genre in that I follow the Urban Sketchers manifesto of drawing on location and showing my world through sketches, whether at home or while traveling. Perhaps one way in which my blog differs is that it is entirely process-driven rather than results-driven: I post any sketch that tells a story – not just the sketches that I think are “good enough” for public consumption. My blog is not a showcase of my best work; it’s the documentation of my growth and creative process.

11/25/14

Why do I create what I do?

It’s all about learning. I have been a lifelong journal writer – a practice that makes me more observant but also more introspective. Sketching, too, makes me more observant, but rather than making me look inward, it takes me out into the world. Whether I’m sketching a beach in Rio Janeiro or a neighborhood coffee shop, I learn something about my surroundings that I could not have learned in any other way.

5/3/14

How does my creative process work?

My creative process is often motivated by the art materials I use or want to try. If I have a new fountain pen in my bag or a new brush marker, I can’t wait to try it on my next sketch! But that’s just the initial impetus. Ultimately, my creative process is driven by the subject matter: Something catches my eye for whatever reason, and I feel compelled to express it through drawing. Every sketch I make teaches me something that prepares me for the next sketch. Again, it’s all about learning.

Thanks for hopping by!