November 7, 2023

This week’s sketchbook exploration was inspired by Jane Davies. I recently listened to her 2019 interview on the “Learn to Paint” podcast, and in that interview she spoke a bit about a 30 minute mark-making activity: she sets a timer and makes marks on a piece of paper for 30 minutes.  No larger goal than that.  It is a way for her to get out of the mindset of trying to finish a painting.

I thought I would give that a go in my sketchbook.  I am guessing she starts with a larger piece of paper than 9x12 inches, because after only 20 minutes I had a gooey mess.  I recorded most of my marking tools as I went, which was not in the “assignment” but I wanted to have the reference.  

I very much enjoyed myself.  I did not mix anything on a palette - I just loaded paint from the tube right onto my mark-making tools.

I am heading into the season when I spend about three months only exploring, trying new things, and asking a lot of questions about how I want to work.  This 30 minute mark-making exercise (on bigger paper) is something I am looking forward to taking further.

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Prompts for the Week:

Is your studio practice affected by the changing light as we (in the northern hemisphere) move into winter?  How do you feel about it?  

Mark off some two inch squares on a sketchbook page.  Make several tiny paintings.  What is challenging?  What can you learn from them? 

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Do you have a “gathering” season?  A time of the year when you worry less about producing a painting and concern yourself more with exploration and inquiry?  If you do, I would like to hear more about it: when does it happen, how long does it last, how do you feel about it?