4 minute read
COOL GEAR
from DA April 2020
URBAN SKETCHING IN THE PANDEMIC BY MARK LEIBOWITZ
All of the Cool Gear articles I’ve written have always been lighthearted and whimsical. This one isn’t. The entire world is experiencing a pandemic.
In better times, looking at Urban Sketchers – it seemed the entire world was sketching. I followed my fellow artists all over the world, studying their sketches to see what I could learn, appreciating their creativity and talent. It’s fascinating how we influence one another. I now follow the health crisis to see what we can learn from one another. I associate cities and countries with specific sketchers I know. I worry what’s happening to my friends. When I hear news about Santo Domingo, Chicago, Manchester, Paraty, Singapore and Amsterdam, my mind fills with the experiences of past USk Symposiums and the good times we had sketching together.
Like all terrible things, this will eventually pass. Until then, as creative people, we can find comfort in our art, while we support each other and share our work. I recently read that Sir Isaac Newton had to practice social isolation during the Black Death epidemic. It was the most creative period of his life. He developed his theories about gravity and other brilliant ideas that were shared with the world. It’s an inspiring thought that incredible good can come from this.
Once, after sketching together, we sat around chatting. Someone asked the question, “Why do we sketch?” It seemed like such an interesting question. We took turns exploring our individual thoughts about the subject. The consensus was that we don’t sketch to create artwork. We don’t sketch to express ourselves. We don’t even come together for the friendship. These are all important, but we seemed to agree that we sketched for the peace it provides. We experience sketching as a meditation. It takes us away from our daily cares and provides a calmness where we can experience our true selves. Now that sounds like a powerful medicine.
Many groups around the world have shifted to a virtual model where they work on a shared theme and post comments and artwork. The New York City chapter ran its first virtual event on March 21. It was an amazing success. We’ve asked our membership to make creative suggestions in three areas:
1. THEMES: An idea that we can all explore during the week. It’s not time-focused. Our first theme was to explore visualizing COVID-19, the second theme was to share the view out your window. 2. CHALLENGES: The purpose of a challenge is to help people improve their skills. An example might be drawing 100 hands in one week. 3. VIRTUAL EVENTS: This is to replace our weekly get-together. We focused on exploring one section of the Metropolitan Museum. The assignment was to combine two images in a creative, expressive way. Not exactly urban sketching, but it produced some amazing results. We intend to offer a V-Sketch Event every week.
We also asked for suggestions. In 24 hours, our membership
suggested 45 themes, 10 challenges, and 9 V-Sketch Event ideas. With creativity like this, we can easily outlast this virus. I believe this experience is going to change us all. It has the potential to change us for the better, if we allow our creativity and our optimism be our guide. I wish you all good health and the peace that sketching provides.
If you have suggestions or ideas you’d like to share about Urban Sketching in the Pandemic, please send them to me directly at markleibowitz810@gmail.com.
SHARE YOUR CHAPTER’S NEWS WITH OUR READERS
Contact us to share your chapter’s news, special events, joint meetups, and exhibitions with our readers. You don’t need to write the story yourself. We will assign a Drawing Attention writer to cover your story! Contact us at: drawingattention@urbansketchers.org .
PARKA REVIEWS BY TEOH YI CHIE
Teoh Yi Chie is an infographics journalist who joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2009. He’s probably better known as Parka from Parkablogs.com, a website that reviews art books and art products.
This month Parka video reviews Waterproof Inks that are safe for Fountainpens. Check it out!
Our Manifesto
• We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation • Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel • Our drawings are a record of time and place • We are truthful to the scenes we witness • We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles • We support each other and draw together • We share our drawings online • We show the world, one drawing at a time.
