SKETCHING IN
BERLIN • BUDAPEST DELHI • GOLD COAST INCHEON • MIDDLE EAST MUMBAI • PARIS • PRAGUE PUNE • POLAND SAN JOSE SEATTLE
DRAWING
Attention
The official zine of Urban Sketchers
MARCH 2022
Drawing Attention Mandate Drawing Attention, the official monthly zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching.
Thanks to this month’s Drawing Attention contributors: Content Publication Team: Olga Surmacheva, Anne Taylor, Jane Wingfield Mailchimp layout: Jane Wingfield Issuu layout: Anne Taylor Writers: Mark Alan Anderson, Cathy Gutterman, Mark Leibowitz, Anne Taylor, Jane Wingfield Proofreader: Leslie Akchurin Contributors: Agnès Goyet, Uma Kelkar, Parka, Javier Mas Pinturas, Rita Sabler, Jan Vìtek Cover Image: Rolf Schroeter Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the December edition of Drawing Attention Circulation: 14k+ Readership: 16k+ Web: urbansketchers.org Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Click here to make your tax-deductible contribution via Paypal. © 2021 Urban Sketchers. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication, including accompanying artwork, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Urban Sketchers organization.
Hello and Happy New Year Urban Sketchers, I am excited to write to you from my new position as USk President. Being the Vice President and Membership Director for the past year and a half has been extremely fulfilling and taught me a great deal. I now look forward to giving back in a new capacity. You can reach out to me at any time with questions and comments about the activities and initiatives of Urban Sketchers at president@urbansketchers.org. I want to acknowledge and give sincere thanks to the departing members of the Executive Board (EB): Richard Alomar (former President), Gail Wong (former Treasurer) and Peggy Wong (former Events Director). They have given countless hours over many years to our organization, and each has helped us grow and evolve. They have faced the pandemic, and its challenges and effects on the organization and the community head on. USk is better because of their generosity. I would also like to welcome our three new members; Patrick Ng (new Vice President), Kris Mordecai (new Treasurer) and Eric Ngan (new Events Director). We are very grateful for your desire to give back to the This issue of Drawing Attention is chock full of engaging stories. Visual storytelling is what distinguishes Urban Sketchers from other plein air groups, and looking at the Reportage grant winners, I was inspired and transported by their remarkable sketches and narratives. We walk with Agnes Goyet as she records African life and experience in Paris, and meet refugees in Budapest who were introduced to urban sketching by Hungarian illustrator and urban sketcher, Cecilia Simonyi. Three other urban sketchers share their stories as they followed in the footsteps of historical sketchers. Sketchers everywhere are coming up with ideas on how to
community by serving on the board. We are also excited to welcome the nine new chapters that joined our community in January 2022. Our USk family now includes a total of 359 chapters in 70 countries! A warm welcome to our new chapters. We look forward to learning more about new members and hopefully meeting you in person one day. We have all been trying to adjust to the changing COVID times and what that means in terms of gathering as Urban Sketchers. With restrictions still in place for many regions in the world, we feel that it is in the best interests of our community to postpone the Symposium for one more year. So we wanted to create more accessible opportunities for our community to gather together regionally. At the end of 2021, we launched the Regional Event Grants Program to assist USk Chapters in hosting bigger events than their regular chapter sketch outings. This year we received a whopping 17 submissions from across the globe. The EB and program committee are almost through the selection process and will be announcing the grant recipients shortly. So keep your eyes peeled for some amazing opportunities to gather with other Urban Sketchers this year and share your world, one sketch at a time. Take Care and Happy Sketching, Genine Carvalheira, USk President cope with the pandemic’s obstacle course. Prague reports on their innovative 24-hour Sketch Marathon, and new chapters are popping up continuously. To top it off, Uma Kelkar gives us a step-by-step demo on how she creates convincing water reflections at her local lake! I hope you take the time to not just skim, but thoroughly enjoy all the stories and sketches. We had fun collecting, editing, and presenting them. There’s no doubt that, despite the challenges of the past two years, Urban Sketchers is not just surviving but thriving. Keep the stories coming and keep showing the world, one sketch at a time! Jane Wingfield (USA), with Olga Surmacheva (USA), and Anne Taylor (NZ) Content Publication Team drawingattention@urbansketchers.org
4 NEWS & EVENTS
6 GENINE
10
REPORTAGE GRANT PROGRAM
CAVALHIERA
8 USK PRAGUE 16 USK
26
GOLD COAST
UMA KELKAR DEMO
CONTENTS 22
REFUGEE PROJECT
29 FOOTSTEPS
36
AFRICA IN PARIS
40
MADELINE ISLAND
42
COOL GEAR & REVIEW
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usk news & events
PEGGY WONG
RICHARD ALOMAR
GAIL WONG
HEARTFELT THANKS TO OUR DEPARTING EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS In December 2021, three key people in our organization ended their terms on the Executive Board: Richard Alomar as President, Gail Wong as Treasurer, and Peggy Wong as Events Director. All three have been long-time urban sketchers and have been vital in enabling fiscal responsibility in our organization, grant program inception, and a Sketch Together event. Here they share thoughts on their tenures:
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Peggy Wong: USk has given me the opportunity and platform to propose and grow new events that bring our community of urban sketchers closer together. We have seen over 900 global urban sketchers attending our 10th International Symposium, right before the world was brought to a halt by a pandemic. Recently, as the world slowly recovers, we kicked off the first 24-hour USk Sketch Together event, celebrating our urban sketchers community around the world, showing the world one drawing at a time where they are. In line with celebrating our grass-root organization, brought together by our USk chapters, we launched the first USk Regional Events Grant program, with the objective of fostering a closer knit regional community of sketchers and enabling them to host events together. None of these activities would have been possible alone – but with the collaboration of all USk Execuitve Board members, Committees, and urban sketcher communities, everything becomes possible. Gail Wong: I think the biggest contribution to USk during my tenure as Treasurer was in creating a budget and a formal process for budget requests and tracking expenditures. These make it easy to close out the year and send information to the bookkeeper and accountant to complete taxes in a timely fashion so as to forecast the financial health of the organization. Richard Alomar: I’m expressing my thoughts and thanks here.
4/16/21 8:14 AM
usk news & events
the modern cutting-edge cityscapes. Urbansketchers Incheon, To Draw Incheon is the first book that collects our drawings and records from all around Incheon, from 2018 to 2021. We think it is meaningful as the first book in Korea published by an official USk Chapter rather than by an individual.
URBANSKETCHERS INCHEON, TO DRAW INCHEON 148 X 210, FULL COLOR 160 PAGES PRICE: KRW 22,000 ISBN 979-11-6197-133-9 When you write and draw various landscapes and lifestyles of every corner of a city, you will see things never seen before and realize facts never known before. With this book, we would like to let you know how enjoyable it is to record these experiences as sketches. That’s why we want to do urban sketching together with you. We think Incheon is a city that constantly provides various interesting places to draw, from the old historical remains to
This book has 16 chapters and shows various locations of Incheon where the official sketchwalks and unofficial meetings were held. In order to enhance understanding of Urban Sketching, we have included a few pages introducing Urban Sketchers and how to contact Korean USk Chapters. With this book, we hope that more and more people can participate in Urban Sketchers without fear. Even if it is published only in Korean at this time, we would soon like to publish a revised English version with more places, including Ganghwa Island.
주는 도시, 그 곳이 바로 인천이라는 생각이 듭니다.” - 서문 중에서 드로잉 인천 어반스케쳐스 첫번째 책은 본격적인 활동을 시작한 2018년부터 2021년까지 인천 곳곳을 누비며 그림으로 기록한 내용을 모은 첫번째 책입니다. 한국에서 개인이 아닌 챕터에서 낸 첫번째 책으로 의미가 있다고 생각합니다.
이 책은 총 16개의 장으로 구성되어 있으며 그동안 어반스케쳐스인천 챕터 정모와 다양한 모임을 통해서 진행한 장소를 담고 있습니다. 또한 어반스케쳐스에 대한 이해를 높이기 위해 한국에 있는 여러 챕터들의 감수를 거쳐 어반스케쳐스와 어반스케치를 접근하는 방법 등을 한글로 소개하고 있는 페이지를 뒷쪽에 실었습니다.
우리는 이 책을 통해 좀 더 다양한 사람들이 어반스케치를 두려워하지 않고 참여할 수 있기를 기대하고 있습니다. 이 책은 한글로만 구성되어 있으며, 이후 기회가 된다면 강화도나 그밖에 실리지 않은 지역들을 추가하여 영문판으로 발행하고 싶습니다.
어반스케쳐스인천, 인천을 보고 그리다-첫번째 책 “도시의 곳곳에서 다양한 풍경과 삶의 모습을 글과 그림으로 표현하다 보면 보이지 않던 것을 보게 되고 몰랐던 것들도 새로이 알게 됩니다. 이런 경험들을 스케치로 남긴다는 것이 얼마나 즐거운 일인지를 이 책을 통해 여러분들께 알려드리고 싶습니다. 이런 즐거움을 함께 나누고 싶은 것이 바로 여러분들과 함께 어반스케치를 하고 싶은 이유입니다.” “오래된 역사와 근현대사의 흔적이 남아있는 공간부터 낡은 것들 사이에서 새롭고 현대적인 도시의 모습까지, 어반스케쳐의 입장에서는 다양하게 그릴 장소와 공간을 끊임없이 제공해
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usk news & events
A CONVERSATION WITH USK PRESIDENT GENINE CARVALHEIRA BY MARK ALAN ANDERSON
“H
ow often do you find people who are willing to talk to you for twenty minutes about the nib on a pen!” Urban Sketchers President Genine Carvalheira laughs as she recalls her first symposium in Lisbon. For an industrial and interior designer who admittedly struggled with an inner critic, it was a big leap to travel to another continent and hobnob with sketchers from around the world. The discovery of Urban Sketchers around 2008 led to her engaging with that inner voice, and like so many others she suddenly found herself drawing everything. She smiles glowingly and shares with me that “in Urban Sketchers there was this amazing community of like-minded people …”
I want to get her take on the social aspects of urban sketching, especially during the past two years. Carvalheira credits community and peers for helping her to evolve. Friendships, conversation, and learning about people are vital. “For some people, it’s all about the friendship and community, and for others their focus is on learning and growing.” We discuss “process” more than once, a topic that we explore further when Carvalheira mentions a fondness for cooking. “I guess I like to cook because it’s like building. As an industrial ABOVE: PLAZA SIMON BOLIVER
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usk news & events
designer and interior designer, I’ve always built things. I like to put the whole thing together.” As the new president of Urban Sketchers, a builder seems an especially appropriate selection for leadership. So, what’s Carvalheira’s vision? “It’s not my vision, it’s our vision.” She is adamant on this point. “The board is made up of officers and directors who are of equal importance, so we, the board, develop our vision as we move forward.” A strategic plan is developed every three years, the current plan was realized in 2020. “The pandemic threw a big wrench into plans, so we’re adapting for the future… how Urban Sketchers can get together, learn, and commune with each other.”
SKETCHING THE ROCHESTER SKYLINE
She pauses for a moment to think, then continues. “Right now, with the pandemic we’re still on hold, in terms of the symposium for this year. Understanding that shutdowns were coming, we started to prepare with this regional event grants program. We have sixteen submissions so far. What we’re trying to do is see how we can broaden the offerings of Urban Sketchers: how do we become more accessible? How do we empower our chapters to create events that are more regional so people have multiple opportunities to come together and sketch. With that, the intent of the grant was to let our communities lead us. We want to see what our community wants, and we’re here to help our chapters put an event on of their choosing. We’ll help guide them in terms of education, support, sponsorship, media, and membership…we all crave to be together again—what does ‘being together’ mean these days?” Switching gears, we discuss the heart of Urban Sketchers, volunteerism. “I didn’t realize I could volunteer for the organization,” she shares, “so I didn’t even consider it. If I had known, I might have started giving back in a bigger way earlier. If you’d like to get involved, write to any member of the executive board, our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@ urbansketchers.org, or write me and I’ll email you back.” As our conversation comes to an end, the message is clear that we are adapting and evolving. Urban Sketchers is made up not just of chapters but of individuals. Being able to connect with individuals and have them feel connected with the whole is a powerful motivation. Previously a resident of New York, Rochester, and Toronto, Carvalheira’s wife’s job brought them to their present home in Bogata, Colombia.
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usk news & events
SKETCHING THROUGH THE ‘GRAVEYARD SHIFT’
A BAND OF HARDY EUROPEAN SKETCHERS EMBARKED ON AN EPIC MISSION: TO SKETCH FOR 24 HOURS IN THE SPECTACULAR CZECH CAPITAL. ONLY A FEW REMAINED STANDING…BY JAN VÍTEK
O
n Saturday 16 October 2021, we embarked on our ‘Prague Marathon’ – a ‘sports art’ event in our spectacular city, aiming to sketch for 24 hours straight, changing locations every couple of hours. Representatives from seven countries took part: 18 sketchers, two photographers, a social media expert, an assistant and two special guests, making 24 participants in total. We started in Café Obecní dům for breakfast at 8am. Then we did a sketchwalk through the center, with fast 30-minute sketches. We had a wonderful afternoon session in the Residence of Turkish Ambassador Egemen Bağış who is a great lover of art. We sketched for two hours and spent one hour in a discussion. Then we went by tram to Café Platýz for dinner. Of course we drew during the tram trip. Sketching while riding was fun. From 8pm we recorded an amazing performance in Jazz Club Reduta. The night was challenging. Around midnight we sketched quickly on the Legií Bridge. After that we moved to Cross Club. Around 3am only three people continued, and we went on a sketchwalk from the club to the city center. We stopped at Letenský Tunnel. After half an hour and at two degrees above zero, we were frozen. We decided to order hot tea via Bolt, but I could not find any restaurant offering hot tea at 4am that would deliver to the tunnel. Luckily we found an open restaurant – Burrito Loco – only a 20-minute walk away. Unfortunately there were no hot drinks or hot food. But we were happy at least for cold food and a place where we were not freezing. Then we moved to Burger King near Jungmannovo náměstí. Finally hot tea and coffee! We made
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a couple sketches and after 7am we headed back to Obecní dům for another breakfast at 8am. Three people did the whole 24 hours without sleeping: Adam Topór, Marta Rogalska, and Jan Vítek. The winners did not hesitate to share their opinions. Adam Topór, who represented Great Britain, commented, “I had experience from a previous marathon in Warsaw. Glad I could use it to plan my time and conserve energy for the whole marathon.” Marta Rogalska, who participated in the marathon as a social media expert, thinks, “I met so many cool people, and I have seen a lot of great art, I had a wonderful time.” And I represented Czech Republic: “I had a crisis around 3am, I was thinking of giving up. I didn’t and, in the end, I was satisfied with my performance.” We are holding a second sketch fest on 17-26 March www. sketchfest.cz. And we are throwing down another challenge: which city will organize the next marathon event?
AFTER MIDNIGHT: JAN SHARES WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS
ADAM TOPÓR, MARTA ROGALSKA, AND JAN VÍTEK MADE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
3:00 PM: AT THE TURKISH AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE
6:00 PM: ON THE
TRAM GOING TO DINNER
05:00 AM: ADAM & MARIA AT BURGER KING
03:00 AM
LETENSKÝ TUNNEL
SKETCHING AFTER MIDNIGHT I found my style changed when sketching in the early hours other the morning. When I got really tired, I sketched with more spontaneity – I didn’t care so much about correctness (proportions etc..). I enjoyed sketching under such conditions very much and I like the results.
TOP: SKETCH OF OLD TOWN HALL BY ANNA MARIA JAKUBEK ABOVE: SKETCH OF THE PYLONES STORE BY BY ADAM TOPÓR
FROM CHARLES BRIDGE BY JAKOB FÄLLING
I would compare it to swimming lessons: if you want to learn freestyle properly, you need to get really tired during the training; that is the only way you will stop repeating the same bad swimming habits. You need to swim as efficiently as possible (that is a good style), so you simply don’t have any energy to make wrong inefficient movements. RIGHT: JAN’S CLASSIC DIP PEN
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usk reportage grant program
UPDATE FROM RITA SABLER EDUCATION DIRECTOR:
WINNERS OF THE USK REPORTAGE GRANT PROGRAM This program was open to individual sketchers, chapters, and creative collaborators from around the world. Visual storytelling is at the heart of the USk movement, and we hope the program inspires new artist-reporters in our community. In December 2021, we received 63 proposals from sketchers all over the world. A committee of six judges awarded $USD 300-500 to the following winners: • ‘The Shifting Landscapes of Despair, Hope, Survival and Persistence’, Seattle (USA) by Daniel Winterbottom • ‘The Room’, Paris (France) by Mathieu Letellier (aka. Mat Let) • ‘Chawls of Mumbai: The Social Network’, Mumbai (India) by USK Mumbai • ‘Ripple Effect of a Historic Market’, Pune (India) by Farah Irani • ‘Night People Street Portraits, Berlin Kantstraße’, Berlin (Germany) by Rolf Schröter Congratulations to all the winners – as well as those who submitted other wonderful sketches!
SHIFTING LANDSCAPES – Daniel Winterbottom
I
s it a right, a privilege, a reward, or a necessity to have a safe, dry home? Homelessness has become interwoven with the Seattle streetscape; over 11,000 people are experiencing this destabilising way of life, and thousands of businesses have closed in the wake of COVID-19. For those few, like Daniel Winterbottom, who do not walk by with eyes fixed on some other place, there are stories to be heard, heartbreak to be witnessed or imagined, and myriad unexpected details that jolt our perceptions and prejudices – like people’s efforts to keep their campsites clean without running water or storage materials, some placing bouquets of wildflowers placed at their entrances to make them more homely.
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Daniel says his year-long project began “as an unintentional act of art therapy – a response to the pandemic’s containment and alienation”. He felt it was important to learn about homelessness from the people impacted by it, and to provide “evidence that it is real, and that we as a society have, in part, turning away allowed it to happen”. One silver lining was that he found a renewed passion for sketching “as an act of observation, documentation, and expression”. Each sketch of a dwelling, shelter, or abandoned piece of furniture is so detailed and sensitive that it makes us wonder about the individuals and families linked to it. The sketches seem to ask us to see the human impact, the wasted potential, and the obligation to do more than just turn away.
usk news & events
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usk news & events
THE ROOM – Mat Let
K
nowing the power of sketching to ‘humanize’ and break down stigma, the French charity Médecins du Monde (Mdm) asked Mat Let to do a series of sketches at the Drug Consumption Room in the Barbès, Gare du Nord and Porte de la Chapelle neighbourhood in Paris. ‘The Room’ was founded in 2016 and gives drug users a safer, supervised space to consume drugs, an activity usually done ‘in the shadows’ out on the street. Mat’s project brought him face to face with a new vocabulary, medical products, people and experiences that are unknown to most or depicted misleadingly in films and the media. For example, the drug of choice for many is Skenan, a readily available painkiller priced at around 5€ per pill. He discovered the sad fact that consuming drugs is how users go back to feeling normal and pain-free for a short time, before their craving kicks in and they have to get ‘sorted out’ again. Many who come to The Room do not want to leave as this is almost the only place where drug users get respect and care instead of stigmatization and violence. There was
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a surprising amount of laughter, solidarity, care and respect here, all of which Mat captured in his sketches. He felt privileged to meet the staff and those they help at this unique centre. And though his visits were usually challenging on several levels, he says, “Just like my fellow human beings, I feel a little better after each visit.”
usk news & events
THE CHAWLS OF MUMBAI – USK Mumbai
T
he epic diversity of Mumbai ‘chawls’ – humble inner city tenement dwellings once designed to house migrant workers but now supporting generations of families – called for a collaborative approach. Four members of USK Mumbai joined forces to sketch the many faces, architectures and experiences of these locations – from light and colour-filled celebrations such as the dressing of holy basil (tulsi) trees, to the everyday lives of hardworking women tailors and lantern sellers, as well as the efforts of one artistic resident to beautify his small balcony. Here, people live shoulder to shoulder with only small balconies and shared courtyards for breathing space; residents have to leave any hopes of privacy or solitude behind them. They benefit from the togetherness, conversation, laughter and community support of this style of living, but there is the flip side, too: the strain of subsistence living at such close quarters and neighbourhood feuds and petty squabbles that are difficult to ignore or block out. Chawls also have a fascinating social and political history, their raw energy giving rise to political movements and activists, as well as to movie stars and mafia members. Many chawls are now being cleared to make way for new city infrastructure and accommodation, so the Mumbai sketchers knew they were recording a way of life that may be under threat. Many shared time with residents and listened to their stories. Their combined work, coming from multiple perspectives and passions, shows life in all its kaleidoscope color and variety, a fitting tribute indeed to life in the chawl.
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usk reportage grant program
THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF A HISTORIC MARKET – Farah Irani
F
arah Irani had been sketching her neighbourhood in the city of Pune for some time, on a road full of historic buildings built during the colonial British era. For this project, she concentrated on a unique historic market, to understand how the local people have reclaimed and repurposed it, and how the British and Indian influences have evolved during the pandemic. According to laws put in place by the British, vendors can only sell what they are licensed to at the century-old Mandai market – but they find ways to adapt their wares to the ever changing festivals and customer demands: “For Diwali it’s brooms, for the Ganesh Festival it’s creative pedestals for the installation of the idol, for Dussehra, there are mountains of marigolds,” says Farah. One memorable day, Farah drew the broom vendor at right, who was perched high on a pile of his wares: “It looked like he had attained nirvana there, as he took his calls and handled his thronging customers in a peaceful manner…. he even tried to see that I had a cup of hot tea, organized a chair for me to sit on despite my protests, and 14 drawing attention
ensured his men directed the chaotic traffic around me just so that I could sketch.” The market stalls mirror India’s many festivals, and the broom vendor was catering to the tradition of sweeping away poverty in the home. This happens on the day before the traditional financial year ends, when Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, visits around midnight and tries to find the cleanest house. “Through this type of storytelling I have learned to dive in deep to look for those untold stories, to spend time with the subject to appreciate and highlight the need for conservation of an ageing structure,” says Farah.
usk news & events
NIGHT PEOPLE, STREET PORTRAITS
R
olf Schroeter got to know one street in his neighbourhood intimately – Kantstraße, which connects the Berlin Fair and International Congress Center with the Beitscheidtplatz in the center of the Berlin district of Charlottenburg. A hub for restaurants, bars, theatre and “overall intense nightlife”, he’d walked through it countless times but only started exploring it in great detail with this project. He started at an uneasy point aontinuing through periods of greater restrictions. As he is by no means an extrovert, tackling portraits was a challenge: “My method is to quite openly start a drawing of a situation, always containing a capture of some person in a habitat. So I already catch a bit of context and at the same time sometimes attract attention that can be a starting point for a conversation. Sometimes this leads to a portrait sitting (right away or scheduled on another
date); other times I only collect some info, thoughts and views from a conversation.” Rolf is conscious that there are many café owners and chefs among his portraits, as they are naturally communicative and keen to interact with people. He intends to exhibit his work close by at a gallery space called ‘povvera’ in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Check out his blog, where he will post details.
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new chapter
TRAWLERS BY NATALIA NORTON
Welcome Urban Sketchers Gold Coast HOME TO PRISTINE BEACHES, WORLD CLASS SURFING DESTINATIONS, AND RAINFORESTS, THE GOLD COAST IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER TOURIST DESTINATIONS. IT NOW ALSO HAS A THRIVING NEW USK CHAPTER, THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE OCEANIA REGION. BY CATHY GUTTERMAN 16 drawing attention
MARK ELMS
USk Gold Coast’s Logo (above) was designed by Admin Natalia Norton. It was adopted as their official Logo last December, and is now affectionately referred to as the “Surfing wave”.
T
he city of Gold Coast is located roughly in the center of the east coast of Australia, bordering its state capital, Brisbane. It spans a coastline of 120 kilometers and is one of Australia’s largest cities. While there had been interest in establishing a sketching group on the Gold Coast for some time, it never really progressed until Mark Elms became involved. It was a perfect fit because Mark, a member of USk Brisbane since 2017, was able to draw on his experience and the advice of his Brisbane contacts to successfully set up Urban Sketchers Gold Coast early last year.
The logo depicts a surfer riding a wave with the city skyline rising out of the waves. It symbolizes the history of their modern beach city which grew out of the pristine nature of its beaches and its surf culture. The continuous line drawing of the surfer, the wave and the city skyline reminds them that they are predominantly a sketching group.
Mark actively promoted the new group through radio interviews, magazine articles, posts on community pages, and aligning with other local art groups. In February 2021, the group’s inaugural event in Burleigh Memorial Park was attended by 15 new members. Since then, it has grown to 412 members, becoming one of the largest active art groups currently on the Gold Coast. USk Gold Coast members are a diverse mix of artists, illustrators, architects, beginners, art enthusiasts, retirees, and students, and several are also members of the Royal Queensland Art Society and other Australian and international urban sketcher groups. The group runs sketch events across two Australian state borders. DAVID & SARAH LADLEY
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new chapter
Every second Saturday they meet at a selected location on the Gold Coast, and alternate Saturdays see them hosting events in New South Wales for their regional members. The group typically sketches local urban scenes, from modern high-rise buildings, heritage buildings, and quirky 1950s beach shacks, to beachy streetscapes and tropical gardens. However, they are also lucky to have the opportunity to sketch stunning surf beaches, fishing fleets, ancient volcanic mountains, and rainforests, as well as sugar cane fields, rivers, and numerous historic villages. The Gold Coast is a sketcher’s paradise and, for that reason, they try to vary their sketch locations as much as possible. As the group’s membership grew, Mark needed assistance with running events, and a number of people have been recruited as admins and mentors, including Natalia Norton, Erin Hill, and Lucy Campeanu. Five months after setting up, the admins applied for official status. The biggest challenge during the approval process was COVID. Because membership spanned two states, and they had border closures for most of the year, some members were isolated from events. USk Gold Coast worked around this by running two separate groups, one for each state. During the year, Mark Elms and Natalia Norton hosted regular events in Queensland, and Erin Hill ran regular fortnightly sketching events in New South Wales. The group developed and communicated a simple COVID plan to all members. In 11 months, only three events had to 18 drawing attention
TOP: CLOCK TOWER AT SURFERS PARADISE BY DAVID LADLEY. ABOVE: BEACH SKETCHERS BY FRANKIE FRANKIE
BROADBEACH BY DAVID LADLEY
usk news & events
CURRUMBIN CREEK BY MARK ELMS GREENMOUNT BEACH BY MARK ELMS
CRYSTAL CREEK BY ERIN HILL
Several members have commented that the group has “brightened up their lives” in what has been a horrible year living with COVID. 3 • 2022 19
usk news & events
be canceled due to COVID. The chapter hosted 33 events and have not had any incidences of COVID within the group.
JEWEL TOWER BY NATALIA NORTON
PANDANUS BY JANETTE HUISTENDAHL
Apart from border closures, the threat of COVID in Australia was minimal in 2021, which meant USk Gold Coast was able to hold regular active sketching meets. They were still able to run regular events so the idea of sketching at home was not popular. A highlight of their first year was holding joint sketch meets with the Royal Art Society Queensland (RQAS) and Urban Sketchers Brisbane, in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. At their first joint sketch meet, they celebrated achieving 100 members within their first month. The most gratifying thing about the first year has been the sense of community that has emerged within the group. Their events have a core of regular attendees, many new friendships have been made, and the enthusiasm and talent of members has only grown. TOP: TWEED HEADS BY LUCY CAMPEANU TOP RIGHT: FIRST SKETCH LUNCH 20 drawing attention
ABOVE: FOCUSED SKETCHER BY JANETTE HUISTENDAHL
MEETUP AT COOLANGATTA usk Gold Coast
USK GOLD COAST’S TIPS FOR BECOMING AN OFFICIAL USK REGIONAL CHAPTER: • Seek the advice and support of a neighboring USk chapter, and your Regional USk Admin.
• Hold regular events. Weekly or fortnightly are best. • Encourage members to post their sketches on the group page, where they become a source of inspiration for others.
• Actively promote your group to the general public through
media articles, radio/TV interviews and Facebook community groups. It is amazing how much interest there is in groups like ours.
• When promoting, emphasize that events are free and
highlight the therapeutic value that sketching with a group like the USk model can deliver.
• Host sketching events at local festivals and fairs, checking
with promoters first. USk Gold Coast has set up a mentor group to assist new members, and beginners. This helps break the ice for new members eager to give sketching a go. Emphasize this feature when promoting the group.
• Put up regular posts welcoming new members to the group– doing so builds community.
• Align your group with established local art groups, and try to hold joint meet-ups with them.
f ERIN HILL
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sketcher spotlight
Sketching with Refugees in Budapest THIS STORY STARTED SEVEN YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS HEADING TO A KITE FLYING FESTIVAL, NORTH OF BUDAPEST, WITH MY 8-YEAR OLD SON, SAMU. WE WERE SITTING ON THE TRAIN. A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES SAT DOWN NEXT TO US. SOON, MY CHILD WAS PLAYING CARDS WITH THEM, USING LAUGHTER AS A COMMON LANGUAGE...BY CECILIA SIMONYI
T
he people we saw that day were refugees living in Budapest, mainly from Afghanistan, where both kite making and kite flying is an art. We adored the kites they made and were fascinated by their kite-flying skills. Friendships formed that have lasted to this day. We learned to make kites, flew kites together, played football and méta (a Hungarian traditional team sport). I was happy Samu could be part of this diversity, and I was impressed with the skill of Afghan youth in speaking Hungarian with amazing fluency and without an accent. Last autumn they invited me to do a sketching workshop at a local festival organized by Mira, an NGO which aims to help refugees and migrants living in Budapest. Being late Autumn, I searched for a venue that was free, out of the rain, and where the refugees would feel safe and welcome. I decided on the oldest train station in Budapest, Keleti Pályaudvar. Many refugees were interested – young people, families with children, even a Nepali family freshly reunited after being apart five years. I was excited. Then I tested positive for Covid the day before the workshop. We had to cancel the event. We didn’t give up. While preparing for the workshop I realized how much sketching could help foreigners, especially refugees, find roots in a new country. Sketching is a way to connect to a place, so I persisted. After recovering from Covid, I was invited to sketh with the women at a refugee 22 drawing attention
women’s club. It was a very diverse group – some had come for study, some for work, some for their husband’s job, and some as refugees with tough stories. They were of different ages, backgrounds, and countries of origin. When I met with them, I talked about sketching, about Urban Sketchers, and showed a few of my sketches. I asked them if they would like to draw, and what places in Budapest they would like to visit and sketch. In January we met twice. At the first meeting, we made our own sketchbooks. When we met again, I showed them simple sketching techniques, using pencil, ink, and watercolor. We first worked inside, drawing blind portraits of each other, then sketched our cups and snacks from the famous Nándori Cukrászda. Next, we went out to the street, just in front of the building, in the 8th District of Budapest, where most of the refugees live. It is quite a special neighborhood—dirty, lively, poor, full of excitement in the streets, but not safe after dusk. Despite some difficult encounters, they enjoyed sketching a lot. I felt happy to see the shining faces of these women as they looked at their results: their very first sketches. I was very proud of them. We plan to continue sketching regularly, exploring the beauties and secrets of Budapest during the spring.
news & events
Cecilia Simonyi is the creator of Walkits, convenient pouch-bags designed specifically to carry sketch tools. With the help of the international sketching community who donated funds, she was able to gift 20 Walkits, filled with sketching tools, to the refugees in her sketch group. If you would like to gift a sketching bag, thank you – she will make sure it gets to a refugee person sketching with us! 3 • 2022 23
sketcher spotlight
Sketching menekültekkel Budapesten CECILIA SIMONYI
E
a zsúfolásig telt vonaton, amikor felszállt egy csapat, láthatóan sokféle nemzetiségű és nyelvű fiatal, és leültek mellénk. Perceken belül egy kártyaparti közepén találtuk magunkat, és ámulva szemléltem a kisfiamat, aki angol nyelvtudás híján a nevetés nyelvén kommunikál velük. A fiatalok többsége itt élő menekült volt, leginkább Afganisztánból, ahol a sárkánykészítést művészi szinten űzik, és sárkányreptetés nemzeti sport. Lenyűgöző sárkányokat hoztak magukkal, és leesett állal néztük, ahogy reptetik őket az égbolton. Barátságok köttettek, amik a mai napig tartanak, sárkányoztunk, fociztunk és métáztunk együtt. Öröm volt, hogy Samu ebben a diverzitásban nő fel, és mély benyomást tett rám, milyen folyékonyan és akcentus nélkül beszélik az afgán fiatalok a magyar nyelvet. Tavaly ősszel meghívást kaptam, hogy tartsak egy sketching workshop-ot a Bokréta fesztiválon, a Mira nevű civil szervezettől, akik Budapesten élő menekülteket és bevándorlókat segítenek a beilleszkedésben. Örömmel vállaltam el, és egy hirtelen ötlettől vezérelve úgy döntöttem, hogy az általam varrott sketching táskákból minden résztvevőnek ajándékozok egyet, és gyűjtést indítottam az instagram oldalamon, hogy ehhez mások is csatlakozhassanak, és a táskákat néhány alapeszközzel együtt adhassam át. Szívmelengető volt a nemzetközi sketching közösség bevonódása: húsz készletet raktunk össze az adományokból! Köszönet mindenkinek, aki hozzájárult! Elkezdtem helyszínt keresni, olyat, ahol nincs belépő, ami menekültek számára biztonságos és befogadó, ami az őszi
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időben, hideg vagy eső esetén is alkalmas. A Keleti Pályaudvar mellett döntöttem. Sok jelentkezés érkezett, fiatalok, családok gyerekekkel, még egy olyan nepáli család is, akiknek az újraegyesítése öt év után éppen egy héttel azelőtt sikerült. Izgatottan vártam a workshopot, de egy nappal előtte pozitív lett a covid tesztem. El kellett halasztanunk az eseményt. Nem adtuk fel. Miközben a workshopra készültem, rájöttem, hogy a sketching milyen jó eszköze lehet annak, hogy itt élő külföldiek, különösen menekültek otthonra találjanak, gyökeret eresszenek egy új országban. A sketching nem más, mint egy helyhez való kapcsolódás. Amikor leülünk rajzolni
Cecilia Simonyi
valahol, lelassulunk, körülnézünk, megfigyelünk. Az épületeket, az utcákat, az arra járókat. Ilyen módon hirtelen egészen új szemmel látjuk azt, ami körülvesz. Érdekes részletek tűnnek a szemünkbe, amiket addig nem vettünk észre. Sketching közben a hely ismerőssé válik. Akár hosszú ideje élünk már valahol, akár éppen csak odavetett a sors keze, a sketching által kapcsolódhatunk a helyhez, személyes viszonyba kerülhetünk utcákkal, fákkal, padokkal. És a sketching gyakorta közösséget is formál. Időközben más szervezetekkel is kapcsolatba kerültem, és meghívást kaptam egy női klubba, amit a Menedék Egyesület szervezett Budapesten élő menekült nőknek. Nagyon sokszínű csoport, van, aki itt tanul, van, aki dolgozik, más a férje munkája miatt került ide, és sokan nehéz történetekkel a hátuk mögött érkeztek. Sokféle korú, hátterű, nemzetiségű nő. Amikor először találkoztunk, meséltem nekik az urban sketching-ről, és megmutattam néhány rajzomat. Megkérdeztem, szeretnek-e rajzolni, és Budapest mely részeit járnák be szívesen. Januárban kétszer találkoztunk. Az első alkalmon elkészítettük saját sketchbook-jainkat. A következő találkozáskor egyszerű sketching technikákat mutattam nekik, ceruza, tus és vízfesték használatával. Először bent dolgoztunk, vak portrékat rajzoltunk egymásról, majd lefestettünk a teásbögréinket, és a süteményeket a Nándori cukrászdából. Aztán kimentünk az utcára, a klubhelyiség elé, a budapesti „nyolcker” szívében, ahol a menekültek közül sokan élnek. A kerület a budapestiek számára jól ismert: életteli, piszkos, elhanyagolt, színes, nem a legbiztonságosabb. A félóra alatt, amit a járdán rajzolva töltöttünk, két „megszólításban” volt részünk, amit a csoportot vezető szociális munkások flottul kezeltek, és zavartalanul rajzolhattunk. Öröm volt nézni a nők ragyogó arcát, ahogy első sketch-eiket nézték büszkén. Én is büszke voltam rájuk. A tavasz folyamán tervezzük a folytatást, Budapest szépségeinek és titkainak felfedezését és lerajzolását.
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usk news & events
SKETCHER DEMO
Fast and fresh: creating convincing reflections WELL-KNOWN WATERCOLOURIST, URBAN SKETCHER AND TEACHER UMA KELKAR SHARES HER DAILY LAKESIDE WALK WITH US, SHOWING HOW SHE CREATES A FRESH, POCKET-SIZED RECORD OF THE LANDSCAPE IN UNDER HALF AN HOUR.
M
ost days, I walk around Almaden Lake, San Jose, California and it often provides a great 10-15 minute urban sketch opportunity. I keep coming back here because I find it a bit of a solace in the middle of packed suburbia; there’s no traffic and I can walk right around the lake, which gives me peace. The light is always terrific and being here makes me happy – maybe that’s why I always see the lake in a happy light. Reflections are obviously a common theme in this location. I’ve found that showing reflections convincingly boils down to two main things:
26 drawing attention
• The tonal value of still water will be either lighter
or darker than the surroundings. If the difference in tonal value between the objects in a scene and their reflection is very subtle, make the colours of the water and reflections either ‘warmer’ or ‘ cooler’ than the objects. Your painting will read well if all your reflections obey this rule. • The edge of reflections can be sharp but, within reflections, you don’t need hard edges (though they can add interest when judiciously used).
usk news & events
1
2
ABOVE: After a rough pen sketch, I add blue to provide a
base to the painting. A slight darkening of the water in the foreground adds a feeling of distance. To create reflections of something, I need to first color those things that are to be reflected in the water, such as the dark hill. Painting these objects first ensures I use dabs of the exact same color in my
3 reflections. I choose to keep the reflections warmer than the objects that are reflecting. So instead of the dark green mountain, I provide a warm base with yellow ochre and burnt sienna. Then, while the reflections are wet, I add the darks. This way, the edges inside the reflections soften.
RIGHT: Every time I add a dark object on land, I add a
matching reflection, thus ‘ping ponging’ between the two. Notice that sharp edges of the reflection make them look as though they ride on top of the water.
4 Unless you are working on an incline, make sure to use downward strokes to make the reflections melt vertically as well as horizontally. Remember that you only see angular movements in water, such as ripples on a diagonal, when the water is not still. In still water, you will see only verticals and horizontals. 3 • 2022 27
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I WEAR A 7-POCKET JEAN IN WINTER AND IN SUMMER, WHEN I WEAR SHORTS, I WEAR A LIGHT SLEEVELESS JACKET WITH 6 POCKETS. THIS MEANS I CAN ‘WEAR’ MY KIT (ABOVE) WHILE I DO MY DAILY WALK. HERE, MY CHOSEN MEDIA ARE WATERCOLORS AND A BALL POINT PEN. 28 drawing attention
6
7 I add some reeds in the foreground to punch in some distance. Now it’s time to keep walking. I come home and fiddle with the photo on my cellphone to add in the dark shape behind the blue shed, to recover the distance that I missed while sketching.
Following in the Footsteps IN THE SPIRIT OF PAYING HOMAGE TO OUR PREDECESSORS, URBAN SKETCHERS FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF TWO HISTORICAL ARTISTS WHOSE ON-LOCATION WORK DOCUMENTED THEIR TIMES. BY JANE WINGFIELD
SEATTLE URBAN SKETCHER, SUNIL SHINDE FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DAVID ROBERTS, A 19TH CENTURY ARTIST WHO TRAVELED THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST.
DORA PINDUR AND JUSTYNA WOJNOWSKA OF USK POLAND FOLLOWED TURN-OFTHE-CENTURY POLISH ARTIST, STANISLAW WYSPIAŃSKI, WHO DOCUMENTED PLACES AND OBJECTS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY WE NOW KNOW AS POLAND. 3 • 2022 29
sketcher spotlight
SUNIL SHINDE: “THE BULB FINALLY LIT IN MY HEAD ONE FINE SUNNY MORNING IN PETRA IN 2017.” Sitting and sketching in Jordan, in front of Al-Khazneh, Petra’s most recognizable monument, a Bedouin approached Seattle Urban sketcher, Sunil Shinde, with an art print by David Roberts, a 19th century Scottish artist whose work covers the tourist stands in the middle east (below right). Sunil was already familiar with Robert’s work and the fact that Roberts had journeyed from Cairo to Beirut in 1839 as one of the earliest Europeans to document the area. That’s when he made the decision to follow Roberts’ itinerary. It took two years, a lot of planning and some political changes before Sunil could start his footsteps journey.
the site of one of Roberts’ most famous paintings. He asked himself, “if I stand where he stands, will I learn something that is not apparent to other people?”
When I asked Sunil why he chose the Middle East, he said, “I am attracted to that terrain, the sparseness of the desert and those earthy colors, the yellow ochres, totally bring me alive.” As a repeat-traveler to the area, Sunil is familiar with the territory. He studied every detail of Robert’s itinerary, but the political situation in 2017 Prohibited travel. When Raqqa was liberated in October of 2019, the complete itinerary became possible. Two months later, on December 15, 2019, Sunil was in Cairo to begin the journey. It took him across the Sinai Peninsula to the ancient monastery of St. Catherine and the ruins of Petra. From there he crossed the desert and the biblical sites of Palestine, the walled city of Jerusalem. He traveled through the wilderness of Lebanon to explore the Roman ruins at Ba’albec before finally reaching Beirut many months later. He not only sketched the same scenes David Roberts sketched but also documented his parallel journey in his book, From Cairo to Beirut: In the Footsteps of an 1839 Expedition through the Holy Land.
Another time, Sunil was sketching at a market in Lebanon. One of the shop owners started shouting at him, but neighboring shopkeepers came to his rescue, apologizing to Sunil, and ordering warm felafel for him. “Then they started to help me label things in my sketch,” naming the people and places in Sunil’s sketch and filling him in on the whole story.
Sunil describes a “goosebump moment” he had on day two. He was at the site of a massive and famous mosque in Cairo, 30 drawing attention
Recalling this, Sunil reminds me that Roberts was the first nonMuslim who had a visa to enter the mosques. He was obviously a foreigner, with his sketching gear, yet tried not to attract too much attention. As Sunil thought about all this, he backed up to match Robert’s exact viewpoint and almost fell into a small nook between two pillars. He literally tingled with the sense of connection he felt when he realized he was sitting in the spot Roberts had chosen – a semi-private nook—the kind of place many sketchers seek out while street sketching.
Sunil exudes both the enthusiasm of a child and the expertise of a seasoned traveler as he describes his journeys as well as his plans for more travel sketching. He has found it immensely helpful to contact other urban sketchers before traveling. He has joined many USk chapters on Facebook, even places he plans to travel to five years
EL KHASNE TEMPLE, PETRA BY DAVID ROBERTS, 7 MARCH 1839
ABOVE: THE DOME OF THE ROCK, ISRAEL ABOVE: MAP OF DAVID ROBERTS’ EXPEDITION. BELOW: PETRA SECURITY
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sketcher spotlight
from now. “These connections are beyond that sketchbook . .. It’s super important to have that slightly wide-angle camera”. Relationships always come before the sketchbook. I’ve been chewing on his advice to sketchers (see right). Wise words that, in Sunil’s case, lead to a rich and rewarding sketch experience.
POLISH URBAN SKETCHERS, DORA PINDUR AND JUSTYNA WOJNOWSKA: Have you ever tried travelling with a definite theme in mind? Two urban sketchers from Poland, Dora Pindur and Justyna Wojnowska, did just that last year. They took two trips following the footsteps of the Polish artist, Stanisław Wyspiański, painter, playwright, poet, and designer, who created many sketches on location. He lived at the turn of the 20th century and he is best known for his literary work and paintings made with pastels. In his student days, he traveled around the territory of today’s Poland with a sketchbook. He documented little-known monuments. He drew architecture, interesting details, sculptures, as well as plans of the buildings. Some of these places and objects have long been lost to wars, fires, or neglect, and Wyspiański’s drawings are the only trace of them today. Many of his sketches went missing during the two World Wars that swept through Poland, but some of his on-location drawings from his time at the School of Fine Arts were recently found and released in three publications. It was those publications that gave Dora and Justyna the idea of following in Wyspiański’s footsteps. They decided to plan a trip to draw the places he’d sketched over one 32 drawing attention
SUNIL’S TIPS: • DON’T TAKE YOURSELF OR YOUR SKETCHING
TOO SERIOUSLY. AT THE SAME TIME, VALUE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IF YOU DON’T PUT A VALUE ON WHAT YOU ARE DOING, NOBODY ELSE PUTS VALUE ON IT.
hundred years earlier: “We thought it would be an amazing opportunity to learn about our national heritage and to visit the lesser-known monuments.” Their travels focused on the historic central and south-eastern regions of Poland. They started with a one-day trip in the spring of 2019 to the Opoczno region, situated in south-central Poland, because of its rich history. That left them hungry for more. So in September they packed their car with sketchbooks, art materials, hot tea flasks, seating mats and warm sweaters and started off for five days in the southeastern region of Lesser Poland. “We visited several mountain towns, historic churches, monasteries, two defensive manors and the DORA & JUSTYNA IN SEKOWA
JEŻÓW MANOR BY DORA (RIGHT) & JUSTYNA (FAR RIGHT)
picturesque open-air museum of the Galician Town in Nowy Sącz. We completed our trip in Krakow, where we visited Wyspiański’s tomb. Those five days were amazing - very intense and full of creativity.” The two sketchers especially remember “a magical moment by the defensive manor in Szymbark with the mists at sunrise revealing the landscape behind, falling autumn leaves, sunshine and a warm tea in our thermoses.” When they were visiting another manor in Jeżów, “We met the caretaker also by accident actually - he was just walking outside with his dog when we arrived and asked him if we could sketch on the private property.” He generously obliged and even let them in to the interior, a special privilege since it’s not normally open to the public. “It was pure coincidence that urban sketchers Marek Badzyński and Isabela Santos were in Krakow at that time…we changed our plans slightly to meet them there.” Roman Szmal, of Aquarius Watercolors, and his friend, Krzysztof Ludwin, a well-known painter in Krakow, showed them some of their on-location drawings and paintings. What was their biggest challenge on the trip? Not enough time. “…even though we were drawing from morning to evening (sometimes even instead of meals), we still didn’t manage to see everything we wanted. We have to go back there again!” They’ve decided to continue their project next year and share it with a bigger group of urban sketchers. “We are already planning workshops, lectures, sketchwalks, sightseeing trips, and an exhibition, so stay tuned and consider your next holidays in Poland!”
chapter news
SHARE YOUR CHAPTER’S NEWS WITH OUR READERS UPDATE FROM JAVIER MAS PINTURAS USK MEMBERSHIP
W
e warmly welcome the following new chapters. We are very grateful to see that our family is continually growing! Thank you all for being part of the USk Community!! USk Rocamadour, France USk Graz, Austria USk Helsinki, Finland USk Tula, Russia USk Curacao, Curacao USk Ciudad de Panamá, Panama USk San Antonio, TX, USA USk Richmond, VA, USA USk Kyusi (Quezon City), Philippines USK CURACAO
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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
chapter news
USK DELHI CELEBRATES SKETCH MILESTONE BY NIRAJ GUPTA
D
elhi sketchers recently celebrated their 200th sketch meet up under sunny skies at the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA) in New Delhi. USk Delhi started its journey at NGMA back on 14th May 2017 and has since been sketching together almost every Sunday, switching to virtual sketching at home during COVID. The group has also held five shows at the prestigious India Habitat Center, Delhi. USk Delhi comprises artists, architects, doctors,
USK INSTAGRAM
USK BLOG
professional designers, art students, housewives, children, and professionals from diverse industries. ABOVE LEFT: USK DELHI OUTSIDE JAIPUR HOUSE, HOME TO INDIA’S PREMIER ART GALLERY, THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART (NGMA). ABOVE RIGHT: DETAIL OF SKETCH BY JUHI KUMAR.
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE USK YOUTUBE CHANNEL 3 • 2022 35
sketcher spotlight
AFRICA in PARIS
BORDERS MAY BE CLOSED AND TRAVEL RESTRICTED, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE CAN’T EXPLORE THE WORLDS OF BEAUTY, COLOUR AND DIVERSITY IN OUR OWN NEIGHBOURHOODS. PARISIAN ARTIST, JOURNALLER AND AUTHOR AGNÈS GOYET HERE RECORDS AFRICAN LIFE AND EXPERIENCE IN HER HOMETOWN OF PARIS, TAKING INSPIRATION FROM HER BELOVED GODDAUGHTER.
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Agnès Goyet
T
he current world health situation, with many borders closed, has for now erased the possibility of travel. But traveling is not only about miles, and hours on a plane, bus or tuk-tuk. The journey can start right down the street, with a simple subway ticket. I start my trip in the colorful district of the Goutte d’Or, then Château d’Eau, and Gare de l’Est. My steps also lead me to the Musée d’Orsay, to the Louvre, near the Jardin des Plantes, to Les Halles. As soon as you get out of the subway station Château Rouge, the change of scenery is total. I stand right in front of a butcher shop with a red front that attracts my attention. It is market day and there are many people. A woman intrigues me. She passes and repasses in front of me chanting “saffu-saffu-saffusaffu...” She calls me, seeing that I am drawing, and wants me to do her portrait. I take the opportunity to know her more. Kayta introduces me to saffu, a purple vegetable that looks like an avocado, with a big stone inside, and explains how to cook it. A little further on rue Myrha, a joyful and colorful world comes to life. The goods overflow from the stalls; it is a profusion of food, imported fruits, unknown leaves, and vegetables. I settle in a small vegetarian canteen. The window overlooks small shops selling was fabrics. The women pass by in their beautiful handsewn costumes, all shimmering and ultra-bright. Gare de l’Est, is another atmosphere. The district of Château d’Eau concentrates the essential of the African hairstyle: braids, weaving, wigs, hair products. We are on the eve of the new school year and everyone is getting dressed up. While I draw one of the shop windows, a gentleman calls me. Dido is Congolese, he tells me about his life, his traditions and all the proverbs he
knows. So, when he asks me to draw him, I am delighted. I take a break at “BKM”, a cozy bistro on rue de la Fidélité. The children of the house meet there at the end of the school day, accompanied by their friends. They bicker nicely while the elders make sure that the homework is done properly. A joyful table. At the Musée d’Orsay in the heart of Paris, “The Black Model from Géricault to Matisse” takes place, a fascinating exhibition recounting the relationship between artist and model. It’s a sometimes-inglorious story, with extremely touching works. This exhibition honors Joseph, a famous black model of the 19th century. It also honors black women with several sculptures. As I draw this sketchbook, the songwriter and tireless defender of African culture, Johnny Clegg, dies. This event naturally leads me to the center of the capital and Jardin des Halles and its Canopée, named after Nelson Mandela. In this summer month, the sun is beating down and I sketch standing up to get a better perspective. Africa is close to my heart, and I have had the opportunity to go there several times. To find it a few subway stations away from my home is an invaluable richness of cultural mixing. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to a beautiful young woman I have known since she was five years old and who did not know yet at that time that she was going to change family, name, continent, language, job... my beautiful goddaughter. 3 • 2022 37
sketcher spotlight
L’Afrique à Paris L’actualité sanitaire mondiale que nous connaissons a stoppé les voyages et de nombreuses frontières se sont fermées. La planète s’est arrêtée de tourner. Il a fallu inventer de nouveaux horizons pour rester dans la création, et tout cela a permis de relativiser notre idée de l’évasion. Voyager, ce n’est pas seulement faire des kilomètres, des heures d’avion, de bus ou de tuk-tuk. Le voyage peut commencer tout simplement en bas de sa rue, avec un simple ticket de métro. Pas besoin d’aller loin et alourdir l’empreinte carbone de la planète pour dessiner. C’est ce que je veux exprimer par ce carnet : l’Afrique à Paris. Je suis parisienne et en quelques stations de métro, j’ai commencé par visiter une exposition passionnante au musée d’Orsay, des œuvres extrêmement touchantes qui ont conduit mes pas à la Goutte d’Or, dans le quartier de Château Rouge, au Louvre, près du Jardin des Plantes,
aux Halles… comme un fil conducteur. Je vous laisse en découvrir quelques pages…Le « BKM », un petit resto exotique et cosy derrière la Gare de l’Est, où le bissap est divin et désaltérant (à gauche). Les enfants de la maison viennent s’y poser à la sortie de l’école, accompagnés de leurs amis. Ils retrouvent les anciens qui veillent à la bonne tenue des devoirs tout en s’amusant de les voir se chamailler gentiment. Une joyeuse tablée se forme autour des voyageurs en attente de leur train. Elle est aujourd’hui une magnifique jeune femme. Mais à cinq ans, cette petite fille ne savait pas encore qu’elle allait changer de prénom, de famille, de continent, de langue, de métiers… Un parcours pas ordinaire. Ma superbe filleule. A l’heure où j’entame ce carnet, Johnny Clegg vient de mourir. Le « Zoulou blanc » a rejoint celui pour lequel il avait dédié une chanson, le grand Nelson Mandela (à droit).
38 drawing attention
Ce jour de marché, c’est tout un monde joyeux et coloré qui s’anime rue Myrha. Je m’installe dans une petite cantine dont la vitrine donne sur de jolies échoppes. Les femmes passent dans leurs beaux habits cousus main, tous chatoyants et ultra vifs. Pour les mettre en valeur, je choisis
Agnès Goyet
Congolais, me parle de sa vie, de ses traditions et de tous les proverbes qu’il connait (et il en connaît beaucoup !). Et quand il me demande de le dessiner, je suis aux anges…
de laisser le décor noir et blanc. A l’approche de la rentrée des classes pour les enfants, je me poste Passage du Prado, au métro Strasbourg SaintDenis. Ce sont des enfilades de coiffeurs qui débroussaillent les têtes des jeunes et des moins jeunes. Tandis que je dessine l’un d’eux à travers sa vitrine, Dido m’interpelle. Il est
Les rencontres que j’ai pu faire à l’occasion de ce voyage vers un autre continent sans bouger de mon lieu de résidence, m’ont permis de mettre en lumière ses personnalités, sa culture, sa civilisation, sa richesse, sa joie de vivre.Si vous voulez en savoir plus, je vous invite à venir découvrir l’intégralité de mon carnet au Festival du carnet de voyage qui a lieu à Clermont Ferrand (France) du 19 au 21 novembre 2021.
3 • 2022 39
usk news & events
A Spirited island life MADELINE ISLAND SCHOOL OF THE ARTS (MISA) HAS RECENTLY ADDED URBAN SKETCHING TO ITS PORTFOLIO OF WORKSHOPS – AND FOUR ‘STARS’ FROM THE SKETCHING COMMUNITY WILL BE FERRYING ACROSS FOR A UNIQUE ARTISTIC ADVENTURE THIS AUGUST...
M
adeline Island has been a summer destination for the Meech family for many generations, and it was this family connection that led Charles Meech II to build MISA in 2012. Charles spent most of his business career in London as the CEO and founder of an investment bank, and then founder of the Harbour Club – one of Europe’s largest indoor tennis and health clubs, built in a vacated historic power station on the River Thames in Chelsea. “I knew the island would not only provide the ideal backdrop for art workshops but would also be a way to funnel much needed and ongoing financial stability to this Northern Wisconsin region,” says Charles. In just 10 years, MISA has managed to accomplish all of that while becoming one of the top ranked art and craft schools in the country. Its workshop programs have focused on the four genres of painting, writing, photography and quilting–and now urban Ssketching. Exploring Madeline Island and MISA begins with boarding the Madeline Island car ferry in the picturesque port town of Bayfield, WI. It’s an evocative, nostalgic place with large hillside apple orchards, Victorian architecture and dorsal fin fishing boats, surrounded by the pristine blue waters of Lake Superior. The twenty-minute ferry trip brings you to appealing and eclectic Madeline Island, which has long been an artistic haven. Rich in Ojibwe culture and fur trader history, it also boasts miles of beaches. Madeline Island isn’t just an escape; it’s a way of life. Painters, photographers, and writers have made the trip to this Norman Rockwell-esque island for generations. Endless scenes of small-town life and untouched wilderness await their unique expression. The heart of the school centers around passionate instructors encouraging students to improve upon their craft. It’s not surprising that they form lasting connections and that students return year-after-year.
40 drawing attention
usk news & events
LEFT: SKETCH BY MARU GODAS FAR LEFT: SKETCH BY SANTI SALLES BELOW: THE FERRY TO MADELINE ISLAND
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SKETCH BY SUHITA SHIROKAR
The International Urban Sketchers: Spirited Color, Line and Texture Workshop will bring four internationally renowned Urban Sketching instructors to run diverse workshops with one-on-one critiques. This will be a fantastic opportunity to learn from Paul Wang, Santi Salles, Maru Godas, and Suhita Shirodkar in one location, with unlimited sketching opportunities. Workshop days will be spent on Madeline Island and at the historic port-town of Bayfield. Sketchbooks will be filled to the brim with watercolor, pen and ink and gouache techniques. Evenings will include gourmet dinners and lively discussions on the MISA campus. Register soon, as space is limited. SKETCH BY PAUL WANG
3 • 2022 41
cool gear
COOL GEAR BY MARK LEIBOWITZ
W
elcome to Cool Gear! If you’re new, an explanation might be helpful: imagine more than 100,000 talented, creative people all over the world, all working on the same challenge of sketching from life. Imagine what kind of interesting creative solutions that group would devise. And, now imagine if there was a way to share these discoveries. This column seeks interesting creative solutions to the 42 drawing attention
many challenges we discover going out in public to draw. Before the new Omicron variant showed up, my fellow urban sketchers and I were back sketching together again. One weekend, I noticed something unusual about Alan Wernicke’s setup. He had a wrist band on his left arm. When I asked about it, he was quick to give full credit to Sarah Noda.
Sarah told me about the Rovtop Magnetic Wristband she purchased from Amazon. It’s a $US 10 item with velcro straps, a hidden pocket and built in magnets. The Amazon advert showed an assortment of screws and nails stuck to the wristband. Sarah took the metal insert that holds her watercolor pans out of its metal container. When sketching, she keeps the watercolors on her wrist, her extra brushes are inserted into the
review
pocket, and she uses the full white palette surface (which is much larger now that the colors have been removed) to mix pigments. She intends to modify the wristband by adding longer velcro straps so she can wear it on her thigh. That way, her colours will be secure when she’s sitting. Have you figured out a clever solution to the millions of challenges sketchers face? Did you discover a product that is a total knockout? Have you made something that is a real help to your sketching? Has the global pandemic forced you to come up with new ways of doing the old things? If anyone has ever said of your idea “Wow, that’s brilliant!” get in touch because you’re probably sitting on a great Cool Gear idea. Please send a couple of photos or sketches with a description of your Cool Gear item and how you use it. Please send it to markleibowitz810@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!
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 the Etchr Sketchbook. Check it out!
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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.
© 2022 Urban Sketchers www.urbansketchers.org
