KICKED TO THE CURB

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON Urban Sketchers,THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Possibly through laziness and frustration, lately I have been working from photos.

I often see things I would like to draw at the most inconvenient times. I began carrying a small camera to grab a shot or two and got into the habit of keeping prints of these images in my sketch bag, just in case, on the day I set aside to draw, the weather, parking restrictions or my aging back prevented me from finding a suitable subject or vantage point. I found I could retire to a coffee shop or some other agreeable joint and draw from one of the photos.

Cheating, I know.

The odd part is that I found myself surrendering my searches for "live" settings earlier and earlier, knowing the photos and a comfy chair were at my disposal.

To my eye, when done in this manner, my drawings are different. I can't say better or worse, simply different. But the contrast, in the actual experience of drawing, is night and day.

The connection to the surrounding turf is severed by the photo. The acute sounds and smells I can later recall from an on-site sketch have a disjointed quality. Like poor phone reception the sense of being there, is muddled and interrupted. When all is done, pens and brushes stowed, and I am taking that last look around, there is none of that familiar satisfaction.

All this is to say, these two small sketches are all I can offer at the moment, as far as new work, done on sight.

Cheers,

B.