Bill’s Sketchbook Project 2016

At the request of Kay to share my latest project…. The Sketchbook Project 2016

Some months ago I came upon a book in the library titled,”The Sketchbook Project.” It was filled with the sketch work from people all over the world.  Some were professional artists and some amateurs. Interviews with several of the contributors revealed many were like me having been more devoted to practicing art at an earlier time in their life. Participating in the project gave them an opportunity to simply sketch again and perhaps reignite their artistic side. I decided to take a chance and make a commitment to produce my own sketchbook to be included in the Brooklyn Art Library located in Brooklyn, NY.  

The theme/challenge I signed up for at the time was “Memoirs.”  It took some time to consider what of my memories would be included in my sketches. I found I had to work in a separate sketchbook for a few weeks to let ideas through my mind. Eventually I found most of my work focusing more on the places I have lived that had the greatest impact and some other important locations and events related to living.

There are many wonderful sampling of projects in the making from artists for viewing on Instagram, Instagram-The Sketchbook Project 2016, and Facebook.  Here are some of my finished works that I submitted.

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The house I lived in with my parents and brothers in Sterling, MA.

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The drawings were of two places {inside the townhouse-left and red brick house-right} my family and I lived in, in Cincinnati, OH.

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Growing up I had many fond memories of my childhood at Snow Pond, Princeton MA. It was our family camp, summer retreat where we gathered with our extended family and friends.  In the middle of the pond was an island that I would paddle a boat to or swim there.

The main house at Snow Pond in Princeton, MA.

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The second house my parents, brothers and I lived in Sterling, MA.

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My $300 purchase, a 1969 VW Beetle which I drove during and after my college years.  It took Kay and I to many places.  The red lines on the map indicated the routes we took through Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.  Only once did the VW Beetle brake down out in the middle of nowhere.

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The home Kay and I have lived in for the last 19 years.

When it was time to close the book and send it back-knowing that it will no longer belong to me was bittersweet.  My sketchbook along with others for the 2016 collection will be stored at the Brooklyn Art Library.  A digital format version will also be produced for sharing with others online.

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A little history and how to get involve:
The founders, Steven Peterman and Shane Sucker started The Sketchbook Project in 2006.  “The idea came because I didn’t know how to get into a gallery,” says Peterman, a printmaker. “We envisioned this egalitarian community where anyone could exhibit work without some complicated process.”  Since 2006, the project has grown to include over 162,000 artists from over 135 countries, with more than 35,000 sketchbooks archived at Brooklyn Art Library {17,000 are available for viewing online}.

To participate, click here to view the current projects and for a $28 fee a package similar to the one I received {see the picture at the beginning of the blog post} will arrive in the mail.  Fill the 5¼-by-8¼-inch notebook with your works and submit it back by the deadline date.  This project is available to everyone, and I hope you will give it a try.

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info/sources: The Sketchbook Project •  New York Magazine, Art

Posted by Bill