Driven to Sketch

I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I do believe we’re all capable of change.

Morning near Astoria.

After managing to create a shop window art installation in early 2021, I burned out on the pandemic and life in general. I stopped drawing. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t draw for the sake of drawing. Virtual sketchcrawls didn’t speak to me.

The art installation.

As the world started to open up in 2022, I began to draw again in earnest. 

Mt Hood from the south.

When I ventured outside of my pandemic bubble, I found stimulation through travel. Everyplace I went, I wanted to capture the scene, to soak up what was elusive in daily life: new things. The freshness of my surroundings drove me to use my notebook to record as much as I could. I filled multiple pages of sketched goodness each day. I became more bold with the paint. I drew with abandon. My sketches weren’t technical feats, they weren’t masterpieces, but they filled a deep void.

 As 2022, comes to a close, looking over all the things that I drew, I realize that something is missing; I drew mostly on my own. 

In 2023, I’m not making any resolutions, but I’m hoping to do a better job connecting with the sketching community, maybe even encouraging us to expand our bubbles and find new stimulation in sketching and travel, together.