My New Sketchbook Practice & What Art Is On the Horizon
I’ve begun a new creative habit. This new year, one of my goals (tired of hearing the “G” word yet?) is to feel more creative every day. I thought of a myriad of ways to make this reality, plenty of which were unnecessarily complicated. Instead, I decided to take it back to the basics. I committed to drawing in my sketchbook daily during my morning coffee. Most mornings for the past month you could find me nestled on the couch, minuscule felt tip pen in hand working away in my sketchbook. It’s become my morning meditation. As the sun begin to rise I get lost in Baroque swirls, invented botanicals, and tiny exacting linework.
There are no real parameters other than I’m not allowed to open a book or pull out my laptop in search of reference photos. In a world full of things trying to get our attention I decided to create BEFORE consuming. Every leaf, spider, and flower is sourced from my own mental archive.
Over the years, I’ve absorbed so much from art history, design, architecture, and nature. The favorite bits have become part of my visual language. For some time, I’ve relegated most of my exploration of these inspirations to the safe pages of my sketchbook, but this year, I’m determined to share them with you.
My creative energy is bursting! My paint brushes are dancing all over fresh canvas and a romantic world is emerging. One where the beauty of what exists in the shadows is just as alluring as that in the light.
Getting lost among the mesmerising tangle of vines, flowers, and animals, you pause. Like entering into a towering forest, where nature’s wild energy overwhelms you to a point where you plunge into a state of wondrous peace and contentment. It’s my intention this year that my works echo this kind of transcendent experience and this sketchbook page is only a glimpse into this surreal wonderland.
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