seen at the symposium...

Feel The Spirit

Many sketchers got their first experience of Māori culture at the Symposium. The performances for the opening and closing ceremonies were spine-tingling.

Above is Raukura Kapa Haka, the resident troupe at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Smiles For Miles

Jana Hoffman – Auckland

Nothing was too much trouble for Jana and the rest of the awesome volunteer team. Friendly, helpful, and cheerful despite their heavy workload, they were a big part of the magic of the Symposium. They showed the very best of New Zealand manaakitanga (hospitality, kindness and support).

Sky Tower

Mário Linhares – Lisbon

An ever-present feature of the Auckland cityscape, the 328m tall Sky Tower captivated many sketchers. The second tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, it is lit up at night in different colours to mark different occasions. The red signified the forthcoming ANZAC public holiday. It was struck by lightening in May! Mário showed just what’s possible when you unleash creative freedom on the page.

Cosy Creativity

Pavithra Devadatta – Wellington

Pavithra made this jacket specially for the Symposium. “I grew up in a tropical climate, so I feel the cold here when I’m sketching,” she says. She has made many jackets from recycled wool blankets, adding applique and embroidery. Doing her chapter proud, this one is decorated with motifs from the capital city, including Wellington’s well known red cable car.

Nifty Gear

Keesung Song – South Korea

A major challenge for many of us –particularly newbies – was managing all our gear on location. Keesung showed me his clever three-part water container, while on Maru Godas’ ‘Flowing Cityscapes’ workshop. Made in Korea from lightweight plastic, the three pieces fit inside each other when not in use.

Energy Boosters

Genine Cavalheira – Colombia

USk President Genine was gifting chocolate covered coffee beans to lucky sketchers. Fresh from Bogota, the cute boxes were decoated with the national colours. Symposium days were packed with events and catching up with other sketchers so these treats hit the spot! Of course, the ultimate treat was seeing the 2024 Symposium announced...