Erika Allison's Artastic Blog

Some artists swear by the sketchbook. They maintain it’s important to keep one, to be constantly sketching, and wouldn’t go anywhere without it. That’s not me. I’m not much of a sketcher. I never have been. I love to draw…and I’m decent at drawing. I just don’t have much use for sketching, if that makes any sense.

I can remember my freshman year in college. We were supposed to keep a sketchbook for Drawing 101. The night before it was due to be turned in I was in my dorm room scrambling to fill it up. I did numerous drawings of my left hand, feet, tennis shoes, loafers, whatever I could find to draw at the last minute. I wonder if the prof could figure that out? Surely, I wasn’t the only last-minute student!

Recently, I came across my “current” sketchbook in my studio. I opened it and was somewhat appalled to find that my first entry was dated 2002! See? I told you…not much of a sketcher. And, there’s still plenty of room left. I leafed through the whole sketchbook, curious to see what I’d sketched a few times over the years. While I didn’t have sketches of paintings-to-be, I DID have lots of IDEAS jotted down (with a few hastily scratched in sketches to help me remember how the ideas were to work). I was actually amazed at all the ideas I’d had – and had sense enough to jot down lest I’d forget. Some ideas I’ve already implemented, and are the backbone of my current method of working. Others are still waiting for me to try.

I’m glad I decided to thumb through the sketchbook. It reminded me that I come up with lots of creative ideas. And, it reminded me that I should be TRYING some of these ideas. It’s always good to inject new ideas and new methods into one’s work. An artist shouldn’t get too comfortable with one way of working…which reminds me of a good Picasso quote: “Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.”

I’m sure I still won’t keep a sketchbook the way many artists do. But, mine is every bit as valuable – to me, anyway!

I haven’t painted for a couple of weeks. I have a doctor’s excuse…honest! I sliced my right ring fingertip – and had to get three stitches. I have had to keep it dry. It is logical that if it shouldn’t get water on it, oil paint and mineral spirits are not a good idea, either! Since the finger tip is quite sore I haven’t been too interested in doing other things in the studio, either. A slight bump of the finger is good for a few yowls from me. I got the stitches out a few days ago, but I’m supposed to keep the area dry for another week. The hand is a tough place to get an injury. It’s very easy to bump and split open again. Don’t want that!

It’s quite frustrating to be put on the bench, so to speak. It feels like I’m wasting precious time. I want to be painting. I need to be painting. I need to build panels for painting. I need to be preparing surfaces. The list goes on. Deadlines are looming. Self-imposed deadlines, but, deadlines nonetheless.

The upside to being on the bench (I always try to find a positive) is that it has given me some time to really think about things I want to be doing in my work. I like where I’ve been and where I am. But, we don’t stay in the same place forever. I feel like I’m going down a path and searching as I go. I’m searching for new things, new ideas, new ways to express them. It’s a creative journey. It’s exciting because it’s not static. You don’t “find” what you’re searching for and then the game is over. Each find is like opening a new door. And, each new door that is opened is an invitation to keep going down the path. It’s ongoing and unending. That’s why it’s so exciting. The possibilities are endless. And, that’s why it’s hard to be on the bench. It’s like being at a standstill or treading water or running in place. Boring.

I don’t like to be bored. I am rarely bored. I came across this great quote awhile back. I can’t remember who to attribute it to – and it may not be quite accurate, but…it said something like -” If you are bored, perhaps it’s because you are boring!”  It sounded logical to me.

I’m ready to get my hands dirty again…