Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The City, Two Views: Ink on Paper

Stopped at a Light , Looking up to Congress Street    5 X 11"  India Ink 

I'm still thinking about that show at the museum. Considering the role of repetition & obsession in human lives. So linear much of that art was, so human made. On my way there, stopped at a traffic light, I had snapped a photo looking up to downtown from the non-harbor side. So linear was that art work in the museum, &, I'm thinking now, so Urban. Such a contrast to the nature, the farms & seascapes that surround me in my more rural home. 
City Backyard at the Feeder,  8 X 10"  India Ink

 One bird & squirrel lover I know in the city has a little backyard sanctuary. I watched, sketched, asked questions, while he told me about his friends & their daily actions & interactions. He keeps a journal on many days recording his observations in pencil, sometimes with tiny sketches. It's on the back of recycled envelopes! 
Cardinal, 3 X 5"  India Ink
Funny how the slightest movement of an animal can delight us! Since I've been following The Run*A*Round Ranch Report, TexWisGirl's blog, I'm so in awe of the variety of creatures & their gestures & ways in the natural world. 
Observational Sketches in 5.5 X 8.5 Cachet Black Cover Journal  Prismacolor 03 Pen

 Two of my favorite published nature journal artists are Hannah Hinchman & Claire Walker Leslie. Even if you don't wish to draw, they're delightful reading & looking. For city drawings, there is, of course, the blog Urban Sketchers. 

Country or city, draw what attracts you, they say...

9 comments:

  1. i am completely enamored with your sketches! both the skyline view AND the backyard birds and critters. you captured their scurrying perfectly in such a 'simple' sketch! thank you so much for the shout-out! i truly am blessed here at run*a*round, and i know it. i blog to share the beauty of nature i get to enjoy all around me. :)

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  2. Interesting that you mentioned the linear lines of urban landscapes. This can be daunting to a mind that seeks nature out. I find my new home in Vancouver, Washington can be overly linear but also contains a good mix of mother nature -- I look for nature and find it in many urban spots. I so enjoy your sketches -- they feel so exuberant. I feel your exuberant sketches reflect you as well and your subjects.

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  3. Your reflections, so refreshing, as are your drawings and leads to other journals, etc. Can hardly keep up with you!

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  4. Coincidence that I checked Urban Sketching out of our library a few weeks ago! I'll have to look for the other books you mention. My youngest son doesn't do any drawing these days, but when he used to they were always intricate, detailed, and geometric drawings. It used to fascinate me that this was how his brain worked. On the other hand, you have such a knack for capturing the essence of the subject with much more organic strokes. Your tiny critter sketches are terrific; you've really captured them with a minimum of lines.

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  5. Thank you for sharing your reflections and beautiful sketches!
    Hugs,
    Merisi

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  6. First thought that comes to my mind is that the difference between country and city comes from .. curves! No curves in urban buildings, no square in the country!
    Like always , I like your drawings ! really , you made the first one while stopping at the light?!

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  7. Śliczne są Twoje wszystkie szkice. W rzeczywistości wolę patrzeć na przyrodę niż na proste domy. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.

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  8. I much prefer the scattered, ever-changing views in nature to the linear cityscapes. Yet I do love to recreate lines and patterns in quilts. I will be thinking more about this.

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Thank you for your comments! They mean a lot to me!