FOOTSTEPS

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

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.

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.

Sunil describes a “goosebump moment” he had on day two. He was at the site of a massive and famous mosque in Cairo, 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?”

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.

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 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

ABOVE: THE DOME OF THE ROCK, ISRAEL

ABOVE: MAP OF DAVID ROBERTS’ EXPEDITION. BELOW: PETRA SECURITY

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. 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.

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 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

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!”

UPDATE FROM JAVIER MAS PINTURAS USK MEMBERSHIP

We 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

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

USK DELHI CELEBRATES SKETCH MILESTONE BY NIRAJ GUPTA

Delhi 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, 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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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.

The 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.

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).

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

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 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…

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.

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...

Madeline 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.

SKETCH BY SUHITA SHIROKAR

usk news & events LEFT: SKETCH BY MARU GODAS FAR LEFT: SKETCH BY SANTI SALLES BELOW: THE FERRY TO MADELINE ISLAND

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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.

COOL GEAR BY MARK LEIBOWITZ

Welcome 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 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

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!

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.