The Creative Impulse and the Sketchbook/ Day 8

I love seeing other artists' sketches and have never judged anyone else's work as harshly as I judge my own. I aspire to model some of the finest artists the world has known. I'm aiming high and must say I won't ever paint like these men BUT I will work to achieve what I admire most in them. They have complete confidence in their skills and clear, authentic voices. 

Links to sketches by three of my favorites. Two are known for their oils, one for his magnificent sculptures. These are all watercolors.  The thing I admire most in all of these is the immediacy of the paintings. They are impulses straight from the heart of each artist.  You can feel the passion and sense of connection each of them has with his subject. 

John Singer Sargent was a master artist in every way.  Refined and sophisticated his paints were never far from his side. A master draftsman, his ability to capture the spirit of places or people is legendary and some of what he did was even shocking at the time. Bold, direct and filled with energy, my favorite paintings are from his travels in Africa. 

Rodin

Rodin was an earthy, sexual, powerful man who could capture mass in watercolor, one of the most ephemeral of mediums. His work hits me in the gut and leaves me amazed at what an artist can say in the simplest stroke.

Turner is an inspiration because I imagine him tromping the fields of England with his sketchbooks, eating his lunch and using the breadcrumbs (among other things) to achieve  dreamlike effects that confounded many of his contemporaries.

The intimacy of an artist's sketchbook is a window into their day to day life. I often hesitate to share mine because when I let someone look at what I'm doing it feels a bit like being caught naked for just a moment. I'm usually exploring and finding my way as I sketch. I use it to slow down, enter flow, begin to move ephemeral thoughts into the physical world. 

These particular sketches were done quickly from (omg) photos just to get them done and meet my commitment to paint for the day. I hate work done from photos mostly because I'm separated from the full experience of being with my subject. I may not get the chance to do much today because of the administrative work I need to do, but here's the artistic equivalent of a 20 minute maintenance walk in my execise regimine.