I took a very cool urban sketching workshop with artist Tom Thorspecken a few weeks back. It inspired a thought provoking look at my drawings and some reflection on that types of things I want to record in my sketchbook. Most motivating was the way creates a really detailed rendering filled with fascinating characters in a location that wouldn't obviously resonate with many artists--a community board meeting or a Subway restaurant. It's a good reminder to always be observing and using your everyday surroundings, and that doing so will create a story as unique and interesting as anyone else's. So I bought some new sketchbooks which I'm hoping to fill to capacity this summer with full color New York happenings.
I'm lucky to work right in Rockefeller Center, always bustling with people and activity. I broke in my new book on my lunch break and made a quick picture of Van Gogh's Ear by Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset (of Marfa's Prada store fame) with the Public Art Fund. The sculpture of a suburban will be at the top of Rockefeller Center's Channel Gardens all summer, reminding us that we have no pools for splashing or floating or lounging with daiquiris in our NYC backyards.
