Hello, On the Spot readers, and welcome new subscribers. I’m really glad you are here.
In today’s newsletter:
- I introduce you to one of the most intrepid sketchers I’ve ever met
- I ask you to support my first book project as a publisher
- I share a list of upcoming sketching events all over the world
Are you ready? I’m ready.
Volcano explodes? Must sketch!
Fearless French artist Aurélie Bourdin just raised the bar of adventurous sketching.
As the winner of the 2021 Vulcania Prize for her travel sketchbook L’Alsace à Croquer, Bourdin received a grant to make a travel sketchbook of a volcano destination.
She told me via email that she chose Reunion Island, the overseas French department in the Indian Ocean, for its surprising landscape between sea and mountains, but mostly for the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active volcanoes on earth.
Her choice paid off. On Sept. 19, an eruption began and Bourdin was determined to capture the scene. Along with a friend, she managed to get really close to the caldera over two days.
Here’s how she described the experience for On the Spot:
“We saw the projection of the lava so close. It was absolutely amazing and terrifying … It was windy and cold, my black pencil leaked out because of the altitude. The rain ruined my watercolors, all the colors mixed together, it was so scary that I had no idea what I sketched. Those are probably the quickest sketches I’ve ever done. Still, it was incredible to paint there with the rhythm of a rumbling volcano and with the smell of sulfur in the air. Fear turned into a shot of adrenaline.”
Bourdin returned the next day to “admire the giant at night,” sketching by the light of her headlamp.
“The lava show was magical. This time the ground was getting warmer and warmer. I got a few hot volcanic rocks inside my shoes and I brought back some burnt ones as a souvenir of the adventure. When my shoe sole started to melt, we had to leave.”
Taking a leap into book publishing
In past issues of On the Spot I’ve featured books by a number of sketchers, including Mário and Ketta Linhares, Rolf Schröter, Paul Madonna, Len Grant, London Urban Sketchers, George Butler, Swasky and Juan León.
Today I’m excited to tell you about the first book I plan to bring to market as a publisher: New York Reawakens, by Portland-base reportage artist Rita Sabler.
You can read more about this beautiful hardcover edition on the Kickstarter campaign set up to fund the project. If you make a pledge —and I hope you do!— you will help make Sabler’s book a reality and be among the first to hold a copy in your hands.
With Sketcher Press, the publishing venture I originally set up to bring you On the Spot, my goal is to empower a new generation of authors who document people, places and culture through observational drawing by bringing their work to a wider audience.
This publishing journey is just beginning. I hope you’ll be along for the ride by following Sketcher Press on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Events
British reportage illustrator George Butler, author of Drawn Across Borders, just announced “The First Casualty,” an exhibit of his reportage in war-torn countries. The Chris Beetles Gallery in London will show his drawings made in Armenia, Ukraine, Iraq and elsewhere Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
More events coming up:
- Exploring Recoleta, There’s Tango in Your Line, Buenos Aires, Oct. 7-10.
- 4th Gyeongju UrbanSketch Festa, Gyeongju, South Korea, Oct. 28-30 (I’ll be there as an instructor.)
- Compostela Ilustrada. Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Nov. 3-6.
- Urban Sketchers Pune SketchFest 06, Pune, India. Dec. 2-4.
- Rendez-vous du Carnet de Voyage, Clermont-Ferrand, France, Nov. 18-20 (I’ll be there as a visitor.)
- 11th International Urban Sketchers Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand, April 19-22, 2023 (I hope to be there!)
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