Online Course: Images from "Speak to Me from Everywhere"
“Wind out of the west” — the third principle of landscape we explored was movement. Small pointed brush and watercolor text indicating wind in grassland.
L Doctor Sketchbook
Someone said that to not hurry is rest. We all need, as Gottfried Pott said, time under protection of the muse. How do we do this remotely? The paradox for me is wanting to design a course through this screen that sets up a structure for you to work, for a while, without any screens, watches or interruptions. My feeling is that this is a deep need, and essential to creativity.
My first online class is complete, and made possible by all you adventurers out there who decided to jump into this experiment. I am deeply gratified by the sense of participation that was palpable throughout the week.
Each day we worked, through writing, with a different principle of landscape. I want to show you some work from students:
For example, Deb Jones, who lives on a mountain in Colorado, took a picture of her mountain view and printed it out for reference. This exercise is focused on the fourth day of our class: pattern in landscape.
Printed photo (left) | Rubber stamp made in the shape of a tree (right) — Deb Jones
Below, Kay Bueno de Mesquita, repetition of a mark as an element in pattern:
Pattern: Repetition of a mark (a tradiional practice for drawing, painting & calligraphy)
— Kay Bueno de Mesquita
I especially appreciated Wednesday’s focus of movement as I noticed the constant ebb and flow of waves, whisper of sea grass amid the dunes, dance of kelp in foamy tide, running of sandpipers so fast their legs blur, sideways crawling of hermit crabs, soaring of ospreys with a fish in her beak, diving of cormorants as they pop back up in unexpected places, salty wind on my wet face, scudding clouds across a moody pewter sky, and even the slow slow inching along of slipper shells attached to mussels. All moving in their own special deliberate ways. Such wonder in nature. I let those sea memories flow onto my paper and stayed in the flow pen in hand for most of the day.
— Kay Bueno de Mesquita
Pattern on beech tree trunk (left) Sketchbook pattern L Doctor
Below are just a few more examples. I encouraged the students to investigate, notice and explore, rather than striving for the “end” product. The idea is to have a handmade book of notations and experiments that you can continue working with once the week ends.
Example of woven book form with Rives BFK paper — L Doctor
The students worked with a limited palette and mixing color for all the exercises:
Sherrie Lovler (left) Kati Van Aernum (right)
Mary Beth Shaw (left) Linda Elder (middle and right)
Below are some exercises with movement:
Movement: Sherrie Lovler, big brush (left) | Lorraine Bromley, fine point pen & white china marker
Thank you to all the students have been instrumental in creating this class, along with my assistant, Noelle Gulden. We have decided to add a third session January 4-8, 2021.
Pattern: The joy of finding a box turtle in the woods with her own caliigraphic alphabet.
L Doctor sketchbook (right)
Writing practice: Collage to indicate landscape L Doctor Sketchbook
New archival prints available: https://www.lauriedoctor.com/store?category=Ltd+Edition+Art+Prints
Dictionary pages L Doctor
Alphabet and sketchbook studies L Doctor
One of the most gratifying aspects of the structure for this class is the focus of noticing one aspect of landscape each day. Whether you are a walker, or simply looking out your window, whether you live in the country or the city, what patterns have you discovered in your landscape? I’d love to hear from you.