How many people do you know who want to do art but say they don’t have time for it? Most of the people I know actually (including myself, only that’s because I’m so greedy and always want more time for it) I’ve adapted to this time starvation by constantly seeking and discovering ways to fit a bit of art making into even 5, 10 or 20 minutes of on the go time. I’ve learned to trust my pen and brush to capture some small bit of my experience, in color with maybe some words – not a finished piece but enough to bring me momentarily into the present, into presence (which Ekhart Tolle writes about so brilliantly in A New Earth) There’s a big bonus in that state of course! even if the art product that comes from it does not please oneself, because it’s a record of that Presence, of that unique moment which becomes timeless.
a quick sketch during dinner prep while visiting friends in Canada
THis weekend I’ll be sharing some of the things I’ve learned in my practice of sketchbooking with pen and watercolors over the years – ways to simplify, get the paint on quick, leave some stuff to the imagination and get just enough down on paper to give the feel of that moment. We’ll be sketching things like flowers and other garden features and maybe chickens and our feet and each other and the inside of a restaurant like maybe a coffee pot or silverware – you know all that stuff! and quickly and with big color and in a book. So if you want to join us for the weekend or for one day you can go to my workshop page and let me know if you’re interested.
Watercolor and pen in 9 X 12″ sketchbook
I left early to pick up Andy at school yesterday and stopped on the way to sketch from my car. THe geometry of vines has always intrigued me. It’s quite complex and the details can drive you crazy if you only have a few minutes (I had 30) so I tried to simplify as much as possible. I was pleased with how straight my lines on the house (actually it’s the Vine Hill Bed and Breakfast Inn) were. Usually I’m a curved line person, but if it’s only 1/2 inch long I can actually draw straight!
My friend Miki speaks and paints. eloquently of a different kind of architectural geometry in Spain. See her recent sketches on her blog.
Susan, your concept of quick sketches on the go really resonated with me. I have to try this for myself.
My problem is usually trying to fit in too much and I need to really let myself become more loose in my drawing style. Probably that’s why I don’t do more of it.
Thank you for sharing this great post! Wish I lived closer to you so as to take your workshop… ce la vie!
Wish I was close enough to take your workshop! Since I love your style I would love to learn to be looser. Followed the link to Miki’s site, “WOW!”, her art, like yours is loose and full of color!
These pages are both wonderful. I envy those who will fill up their sketchbooks with you.
Hi Susan!
This is so kind of you to put a link to my Spanish villages, it was a wonderful surprise. And thank you, Tami, for visiting my blog and the great words you write about my art…
Great sketches, Susan. This is funny what you say about the geometry of vines, it has always fascinated me too and I always felt compelled to paint them.. We have some places here in Spain, which quite look like your sketch… the lines of vine, the hacienda at the end, the trees;;; only the architecture of the building is different, and the colours of it. Normally they are white here…
What is very similar to the vines lines are the olive trees lines here in Spain. There is a region here in Spain, around Jaen, where there are fields of them stretching as far as the eye can see. I haven’t found yet an appropriate way to paint or draw them, but I have to try ore. YOUR way is fantastic!
And of course I love the dinner sketch,.. the composition and the colours are so personal and alive! it makes me feel ashamed too, somehow. I shouldn’t be so lazy and should sketch all this stuff too, but I guess it is not that easy to get such appealing paintings out of this everyday stuff.
And yes, it is so important “to trust our pen”…
Hi Bonny,
You know I think we try to put too much in our sketches out of our enthusiasm for the moment and our delight in the process. So it really boils down to making yourself focus on what most delights you about the experience and drawing that first and only whatever you need to support that. And then something about being wet and playful with the paint too.
I wish you were closer too!
Susan,
Your ideas in this entry got me really excited!
I would like to get the RSS feed for your blog, so I can follow it regularly.
Here’s how to do it: Could you go to the Dashboard, click on “Design,” then on “Widgets.”
Next, find “Meta” in the left column, and click on “Add.” This will move it to the right (which is the column of things appearing in your sidebar). You can drag it to wherever in that column you wish it to appear. Then click on “Save Changes.”
Best regards,
Madame Monet
Awesome vineyard rendering.
richard shade gardner
NY Finger Lakes Region
Thanks !