TRAVEL SKETCHBOOK

Keeping a travel sketchbook is a wonderful means to keep your hands and mind in your art practice while traveling. It offers a unique way to capture the essence of a place beyond what photographs can convey. It helps me slow down take pause.

I am a do-er, not a see-er. I can only sightsee so much. This practice encourages me to slow down and observe details I might otherwise have overlooked. It is my time out from the hustle ( and often stressful!) of travel. It allows me to keep my head and my hands in the art game.

Sketching on location helps strengthen your observing skills and provides a personal record of your experiences, complete with the nuances of light, atmosphere, and emotion. Above we have the feel of tropical island living in Hawaii, while below we have a lovely little hilltop town in Provence.

In my sketchbook, I like to respond to my impressions instinctively. I work in layers- color first and foremost, followed closely by gesture and then shape and form.It often doesn’t look like the place at all, but it definitely is my interpretation of how it feels. I like to think of it as an emotional landscape of sorts.

My process here is loose and intuitive. I followed what I was drawn to - botanical shapes, unexpected color pairings and some organic patterns. It was an act of presence vs perfection. Can you guess where I was? ( the answer is below)

Baja, Mexico!

I was captivated by the vibrancy of the botanicals against the dusty landscape, the meeting of the desert against the ocean and the beautiful light of both sunrise and sunset.

There is no pressure to capture something exactly as it is - a simple response through a mark, a color, a pattern or maybe some written words -anything that captures your attention and is worthy of documentation.

These pages hold a lot of meaning for me.I feel very grateful for my travels to these places and the opportunity they provide me to experience something new.