I'm finding it difficult to blog on the war in Lebanon; I know how I feel about it, but the seemingly hopeless situation in the Middle East is making me sad, and for some reason I can't get my head around it. I think it's because, well, I can't blame King George and the Dick-Tater for it. Even Dubya has called for peace (a few weeks too late, of course), and is working out a deal with of all people the French. I've not even drawn any cartoons of the Chimp-in-Chief for a while now; I can't be growing tired of The Decider already, can I? I do seem to have turned my attention to sketching a lot more lately though; I've been inspired by a slew of sketch-blogs lately that I never knew existed. All you have to do is scratch the surface - that's what I love about the internet, you look at somebody's blog, follow the links or the sites of the commentators, and see a million different points of view - but those of the visual sort, not the 'today i left work early' or 'guess waht i di today? (600 comments, all meaningless)' or 'this war's good/bad/whatever'. (Of course, my favourite artist the vessel has gone back to being a pop singer and neglected his shadow-wall magicry). It's like shaking a can of pepsi, opening it, and getting fizzy drink all over the place. What? No it's not. See, I can't even make a good analogy any more, my mind is thinking only in pencil and paint. And I'm thirsty as well. I've been trying to use watercolours lately, the pencil kind, the tablet kind, the tube kind; having never really used them before (except at school, a couple of times, fifteen years ago), and I think I want to take a class if I ever get time. I have this urge to draw everything and everyone around me, on my lunch break, before dinner, in the wee small hours before crawling into bed. I draw constantly anyway; I think I'm addicted, I've been like it ever since I picked up a pen (and I hold a pen funny, because I picked up a pen and started drawing before peple taught me how to pick up a pen; they tried to change me, but I wasn't having it). And I'm super super fussy about my sketchbooks, as I am about my journals. It has to be just so. I used these particular Canson ones I could only find in France for a long time, refusing anything else, so when I ran out I would have to wait until my next trip to Aix to buy one from this one shop, Chez Michel on the Cours Mirabeau. Now I'm using a silver-covered A5 book from WHSmith; of course, now I find I'm comfy with it, I'll have to wait until I go back to the UK to get a new one. Or I could go for what everybody appears to using these days in the sketching blogging world, the Moleskine. I nearly got one today in my local art shop (the Paint Chip, Davis), but found a little printed note at the front that said "if found, return to....." with a space underneath saying "reward: $....." - talk about presumptuous! What if you were a poor artist, and put nothing? someone could find your book and refuse on principle. Or if you did state an amount, well people could hold it for ransom, anything. Mental note to yourself, Pete - if you get one, don't lose it, you'll be up all night with the worry. Bad enough my guitar collapsed last week. Peace and love and dialogue and new paints. California's rubbing off on me.
an art-felt entry
9.8.06 06:46
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Jana Bouc / Website (9.8.06 16:05) Hi Pete, This was really interesting to read. I think if you're going to have an addiction, drawing is one of the best--it makes you feel good and has even been found that when you draw around other people it has a calming effect on them too. Your drawings are wonderful so you are contributing to joy in the world by sharing them--one way to counteract all the awfullness and war in the world. I agree about sketchbooks. Fortunately the two I'm hooked on are easily obtainable--Aquabee Super Deluxe 6x9 and the Watercolor Moleskine. I know they're such a cult item right now, but the paper is really lovely and it lays flat so you can draw across two pages. On the Every Day Matters art listserve (you might be interested--it's a huge international group of drawing addicts) someone lost her nearly filled Moleskine and there ensued a lively discussion about losing them, getting them back, and what to put as a reward on that page. I hadn't even noticed that page and I don't think I've even put my name on it yet. |
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petescully / Website (9.8.06 16:16) I noticed that Every Day Matters thing on a few sketchsites and have resolved to look into it. I could not imagine losing a full sketchbook, you pour your soul into it. I can't stop scribbling, I've never been able to, on everything, especially my notepads at work, which quickly become filled with page after page of almost meaningless scribble. Thanks for your comments! |
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Julie Oakley / Website (11.8.06 20:04) Oh I so agree, how that the first page of a moleskine is horrible. Why money? Why dollars? However despite that I have enjoyed my little watercolour one that I am just finishing off. |
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