I’ve always enjoyed drawing in front of works of art. Certainly seeing the artist’s actual creation versus a reproduction has much to do with it. For example, Seurat’s drawings are much looser than the camera translates them and seeing those gestures is vital when making pen and ink sketches like those above. I enjoy testing my ability to distill an image, drawing without looking down at my journal as much as possible. My focus is eye/hand synchrony. Working in a crowded gallery can actually create a useful tension; forcing me to work faster and search for barest essentials. Stepping out of the way of other viewers also forces me to study works from different vantage points, to draw while moving, and work from a subject that can be frequently eclipsed; all useful challenges. I try not to think too much about page layout; thus my series of studies joins a landscape sketch of my own composition (upper left).
