Sketchbooking
I carry my sketchbook wherever I go… just like Linus and his blanket.
Keeping a sketchbook has become an extension of myself. I always have it with me. Functionally, it’s many things. It’s my recording device… a journal, a workbook, an organizer, and a place for ideas, thoughts, brain blurps, notes, and … oh yeah, sketches.
While I have a variety of sketchbooks that I’ve used over the years, I have my favorite varieties. I use and enjoy Moleskines, Bee mixed-media, Robert Bateman, and Airship Notebook’s Sketchnote Ideabooks. These are my favorites.
As art utensils go, I am fond of brush pens and fountain pens. I tend to work more in ink than in pencil and I prefer a nice bold line.
Workshops and Shows
In 2016 in conjunction with the Monterey Museum of Art, I gave a 3-day workshop on how to keep a sketchbook. It was spread over three weekends and was preceded with a 2 hour preview class. The workshop covered “journalizing life”, “info-doodling”, and “urban-sketching”. It was well-attended and a success.
In October of 2020, I had a show entitled “A Sketchbook(ed) Life” at Sidestreet Arts in Portland, OR. I displayed selections from over 150 sketchbooks. I also created new works from old sketchbook drawings. The show was not only a celebration of my keeping sketchbooks for over 30 years, but also what I’ve learned; I was excited to share and explain my process. In conjunction with the show, I created a two-zine set on sketchbooking and shared my sketchbooker ways in a Zoom Artist Studio Talk.
