We took our first real trip since getting back from France in March of 2020 – destination, southern Utah’s national parks. We visited Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, Bears Ears, Escalande, Capitol Reef, and Hovenweep in Colorado. It was an eye-opening experience. We started with a visit to the Alaska Boardroom at SeaTac, I was a…
Art with a message, sometimes
Thinking more about why we do art and what, if anything we are trying to say. It strikes me that there are times when I am just looking for something to paint for the sole reason that I feel like painting. In that situation any interesting object will do. Other times the sketch is driven…
Ready to travel – my new sketching kit
It’s getting close, really close. Travel is again in the realistic future, and I am ready. Utah and national parks in just 21 days and confidently we are planning Europe in the spring. Followers of this blog know my compulsiveness about packing light. Tricia and I traveled for five weeks in Scotland, France and Italy…
The Terroir of Sketching
People ask, “What is the artist trying to say?” It beats me. Living artists often give some esoteric reason for their painting, all too often motivated by a desire to be relevant. Dead artists must suffer with academic explanations that assume they know the intimate thoughts and desires of the artist – we are rarely…
70-20-10 – an art reality
Where I first heard of “70-20-10” eludes me, I know I did not come up with it though it reflects reality for those of us who create: 70% of what we sketch, paint or create will be mediocre or average, 20% will be just crap, junk, and 10% will be truly wonderful. Expecting everything we…
theTravelsketcher 