On-Site Sketching: Charlottesville

We tried our sketching hands on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall today, taking advantage of the absence of vehicular obstructions in this pedestrian-only zone, the shade of the tree canopy, the empty cafe tables perfectly set for a drawing vantage - not to mention the great architecture. Our task was to draw a manageable portion of the facade, focussing on correct proportion.

The occasion brought out my big sketchbook and a retrospective look at my own process of learning to draw as we leafed through its pages, warped by rain or pressed plants, a little dog-eared. Travel in Europe, at home in Virginia and Savannah, and a cross-country road trip across the US presented opportunities to figure out a landscape or a path or a building, rather, to illustrate/document my perception of it.

I rarely draw on-site as the drawings have become more complex. A Composition, a ______-scape rather than a Sketch. The experience of drawing on-site is so authentic. If I am seeking understanding, a spatial perception of a place, then being there is essential. Field drawing in Jamaica reminded me of this authentic experience, and I aim to do more on-site sketching.

Let's go.