DRAWING
Attention
The official zine of Urban Sketchers AUGUST 2020
Drawing Attention Mandate Drawing Attention, the official monthly zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching. Thanks to this month’s Drawing Attention contributors: Managing Editor: Patricia Chow Mailchimp layout: Jane Wingfield Issuu layout: Anne Taylor Social Media Designer: Suzala, Frieda Christofides Writers: Mark Alan Anderson, Cathy Gutterman, Jane Wingfield French copy editor: Sophie Navas Spanish copy editor: Rosario Muñoz Gajardo Proofreader: Leslie Akchurin Contributors: Parka, Elizabeth Alley, Richard Alomar, Norberto Dorantes, Helen Hayhoe, Javier Mas Pinturas, Marion Rivolier cover image: Noga Grosman Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the July edition of Drawing Attention. Circulation: 13k+ Readership: 16k+ Web: urbansketchers.org Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Click here to make your tax-deductible contribution via Paypal. © 2020 Urban Sketchers. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication, including accompanying artwork, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Urban Sketchers organization.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear USk Community, The USk community is slowly working its way back to face to face gatherings, and instructors are planning workshops for the coming year. In order to provide best practices on how to move proceed, USk will distribute Guidelines for Recommencing Urban Sketchers Workshops. The guidelines can also be used by Chapter Administrators in planning future activities. And as always, if you have any questions or need additional information, refer to your local health authorities. The USk Strategic Planning process started last month and will continue in August with the final plan ready in September. Thanks for your comments and recommendations so far. We can say that we have common goals for a more inclusive and diverse organization,
an emphasis on storytelling and documenting life experiences, and providing the resources for improving outreach and communications to our global community. These goals will inspire all existing and new programs, activities and events; all to assure we and future generations can continue to see, show and share the world one drawing at a time. Your thoughts and suggestions matter to us, so feel free to email me, president@ urbansketchers.org to share your ideas. Please stay safe, engaged and sketching! Sketching together (one way or another), Richard Richard Alomar USk President
MANAGING EDITOR’S MESSAGE Greetings, Sketchers! This month we go behind the scenes with USk Social Media Director Noga Rose Grosman, as well as with Global Membership Coordinator Javier Mas Pinturas, who reaches out to us bilingually in English and Spanish. We also hear from Marion Rivolier about a project that USk Paris conducted under the Community Grants Program, reported in English and in French, and across
the Channel, USk London shares what they have been up to during quarantine. As always, my heartfelt thanks to our fantastic Drawing Attention team for their hard work this month. If you’d like to join us, send me an email at drawingattention@urbansketchers.org! Enjoy our latest issue! Patricia Chow Managing Editor, Drawing Attention
CONTENTS 4 8
USK NEWS & EVENTS
16
USK LONDON
31
6
USK TALKS FINALE
USK COMMUNITY GRANT PROJECT
JAVIER MAS PINTURAS
26
NOGA GROSMAN
40 NORBERTO DORANTES
49 ENDNOTES | REVIEWS HOW TO READ DRAWING ATTENTION AS AN E-ZINE FOR EASIER READING ON ISSUU.COM SELECT FULL SCREEN.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ISSUU APP FOR IOS DEVICES CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ISSUU APP FOR ANDROID
AUGUST 2020 3
USk News & Events
MESSAGE FROM THE USK EXECUTIVE BOARD
PLACE YOUR AD HERE
Dear USk Community: Restrictions on public gatherings are being relaxed in some countries and sketchers will be able to get together and sketch. In the coming weeks you will see more notifications about events, activities and workshops in local and USk social media. As we have stressed before, please follow your area guidelines and recommendations when organizing or attending a local chapter event or a USk workshop. We have compiled a checklist of best practices for USk Instructors and Chapter Administrators, to help in the transition and organizing process.
GUIDELINES FOR RECOMMENCING URBAN SKETCHERS WORKSHOPS
and reach
16,000+
artists & art lovers For more information about ad placement, sizes and costs for corporate sponsors, email Raylie at raylie@verizon.net
4 DRAWING ATTENTION
Our primary concern will always be the health and safety of our members, and the broader community. With this in mind, as we recommence Urban Sketchers activities we must strictly adhere to the local, provincial and national COVID-19 health guidelines relevant to each chapter. In addition to this, we recommend that the following precautions are taken, where appropriate. MANAGEMENT • Develop a plan for what to do if someone becomes ill with suspected COVID-19 at an event. The plan needs to adhere to local Public Health guidelines and should include: • how to isolate the ill person from, or limit exposure to, others at the event • how best to manage the ill person (e.g. send them home or to a medical facility), and • how and what to communicate to the local health authorities.
USk News & Events
• Develop a clear refund policy for participants who cancel due to illness, to minimize risk of ill members attending an event. • Ensure that you have names and contact details for all attendees. Retain these for at least a month. This will help public health authorities trace people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 if one or more participants become ill shortly after the event. • Plan to include an assistant (local USk volunteer) to aid in overseeing proper physical distancing and assist attendees with safety related issues during the workshop event. LOCATION • Provide signs or markings (e.g., tape on the ground) to indicate appropriate social distancing, and to discourage standing or congregating in one place. • Ensure that any common touch areas and surfaces are rigorously cleaned and sanitized before and between “sessions”. • Provide for frequent hand washing and/or the use of hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol content. • Ensure that indoor locations are as well ventilated as possible. ATTENDEES • Make it clear that attendees who are sick must stay home. • Communicate to all attendees the plan for managing appropriate social distancing, and for the actions to take if any participant becomes ill during an event. • Follow local guidelines for wearing a mask or face covering. The applicability of these recommendations will vary between locations and types of event. We depend on each chapter to exercise good judgment, based on health official health guidelines, on what will be most appropriate to ensure the safety of the attendees and the success of the event. AUGUST 2020 5
USk Talks
USK TALKS SEASON FINALE: WE TALK BACK
F
or our season finale, the 17th episode since early April, we took a look back at our experiment that turned into a weekly gathering for sketchers around the world.
Viewers were given a chance to participate in the You Talk Back episode with videos, sketches of the guests’ challenges, and even being invited on as guests. This episode highlighted the community of sketchers around the world, and the connections we are still able to make during this difficult time. We also had fun showing some of the work that happens behind the scenes, and viewers got to hear from all of the USk Talks team members. We rounded out the show with a visit from Rita Sabler, the USk Education Director, whose leadership guides the show each week. She and Rob talked about what to expect from season two, including a combination of well-established sketchers and new voices, and a spotlight on tool makers, as well as more amazing stories and inspiration from the community. Season two will also feature responses to our season finale challenge! SEASON FINALE CHALLENGE: SEND US YOUR REPORTAGE PROPOSAL Look around your community for compelling stories that can be told by drawing from direct observation. Do your research, email us your idea with a few sample sketches, and we will pick a proposal to develop into an episode for season two. Email us at usktalks@urbansketchers.org. 6 DRAWING ATTENTION
We would like to thank everyone who set your alarm clocks to catch us live, those who sketched the guests and responded to our challenges, and those who sent us encouraging comments and ideas. We can’t wait to see you again next season! Read more about USk Talks here.
AUGUST 2020 7
Lockdown in LONDON ON 17TH MARCH 2020 SOMETHING MOMENTOUS HAPPENED. URBAN SKETCHERS LONDON LIFTED THE RULE THAT ALL SKETCHES SHOULD BE CREATED ON LOCATION WITHIN THE M25. THAT’S THE MOTORWAY THAT ENCIRCLES GREATER LONDON. BUT ON THAT DAY THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE BEGAN, TOPICS TO BE SKETCHED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF OUR HOMES. FURTHER CHALLENGES LINKED US BEYOND LONDON AND INTO VIRTUAL SKETCHING. BY HELEN HAYHOE 8 DRAWING ATTENTION
USk London
‘GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY FOOD PACKAGE’ BY ANTHONY MARK PETERS
S
ince that day we have learnt so much about each other, sharing the sights of our domestic lives, our immediate environment and gradually our tentative steps back into the community. Helen Staniforth captured the feeling of uncertainty in her sketch of 21st March, ‘self-sketch’. London went into
lockdown two days later. We became used to applying ourselves to the mundane, both in our new routines and in our sketches. Shopping and the fear of running out of essentials began to show in the sketches. Satu Saastamoinen’s sketch ‘Taking stock, three left, all good’ of 12th April spoke to the nationwide anxiety to keep up stocks of toilet paper. Anthony Mark Peters showed us AUGUST 2020 9
Featured Chapter
the ‘Government Emergency Food Package’ but assured us he was fit and well and isolating. Sketches revealed how our computers had become our windows on the world, as the page from John Whalley’s sketchbook shows. We also became very familiar with the view from our own windows. Chris Le Cluse’s sketch looking down the gardens from his loft studio shows the close proximity of houses in which folk were keeping apart. In the real world of USK London Lynne Flinders’ sketch of the towpath, ‘Kingston to Hampton Court’ shows how eerily quiet the area had become. As things began to open up in the UK and tentative steps were made into the local area, we thought up challenges that could be done from home or beyond. Summer sketch evenings were set as stimuli for sketching locally to a shared theme. Creativity was stimulated by virtual art challenges: a ‘sketch in colour’ theme, and ‘words into sketch’. John Webb’s ‘Summer Evening #1’ of 17th June shows socially distanced strollers in the park, and one isolated deer. As I write, 100 sketches later, the M25 rule has been reintroduced and we are again accepting posts within our 10 DRAWING ATTENTION
‘SELF SKETCH’ BY HELEN STANIFORTH
USk London
‘SUMMER EVENING #1’ BY JOHN WEBB
‘TAKING STOCK, THREE LEFT, ALL GOOD’ BY SATU SAASTAMOINEN
AUGUST 2020 11
Featured Chapter
12 DRAWING ATTENTION
LOOKING DOWN THE GARDEN BY CHRIS LE CLUSE
USk London
own geographical area. People can come out and sketch in their local areas and a few are beginning to sketch together within the guidelines. We have plans for the next few months and are even fantasising about a real exhibition of our lockdown sketching.
SKETCH BY MIKE WHALLEY
We know that whatever happens next, we will be ready with our sketching kits. We have shared a world that has shrunk to one room yet has expanded to include people we’ve never met.
‘KINGSTON TO HAMPTON COURT’ BY LYNNE FLINDERS
AUGUST 2020 13
Featured Chapter
CONNECT WITH USK LONDON?
f 14 DRAWING ATTENTION
RIGHT: HELEN HAYHOE’S 100 SKETCHES
USk London
AUGUST 2020 15
Sketcher Spotlight
Exploring the World through a
Child’s Eyes BY MARK ALAN ANDERSON
16 DRAWING ATTENTION
SKETCH OF MARION AT THE MUSEE GUIMET BY MAT LET
USk Community Grant Project
Sketchbooks in hand, the children carefully navigate the jungle growth. In their minds, they weave their way between large statues in wide-eyed wonder and investigate the unfamiliar architecture surrounding them. This is a journey of visualization. They envision themselves walking through a temple door, over terrain of lush vegetation, fauna and flora – perhaps even observing exotic animals and buildings…
T
hrough drawing, Marion Rivolier and a team of volunteers from Urban Sketchers Paris have been aiding at-risk children in the city to experience a similar sense of adventure through carefully orchestrated museum workshops, made possible through a USk Community Workshop Grant. Their ongoing monthly project is organized jointly with the non-profit Le Secours Populaire, whose mission is to act against poverty and exclusion through cultural projects. Rivolier’s premise is to have children react to a place through words and drawings, as informed by museum spaces. “In these workshops, we are interested in how artworks inhabit a place,” she says. “Through a compoAUGUST 2020 17
USk Community Grant Project
sition of drawings and words, each child tells his point of view on a built, inhabited and living space.” The museums would be a catalyst for capturing people and places through on-location drawings, channeling a spirit of adventure where children might encounter all manner of deities, caravans, temples, or even guardian kings! In a very real sense, children become archeologists who record their experiences using A5 sketchbooks, watercolor pencils, and markers. Using maps and other tools, workshop leaders and assistants establish a sense of locational context to help children understand the origins of the works that surround them in each museum. Rivolier suggests that “they transform themselves into explorers and leave armed with painting equipment in search of the animals that surround them in the room and capture them in drawings.” There are no erasers on hand because in these workshops everyone draws directly with a felt pen: No marks are ever considered to be a mistake! Learning to accept imperfection as an important part of the process, one youngster exclaims, “It is not with the hand that we draw, but with our thoughts!” The key, they discover, is less about drawing techniques and more about evoking a sense of story. Children are prompted into a narrative of inventive scenarios that are inspired platforms to kick off the process of drawing. “For us, this is long-term work and with each session we make progress,” Rivolier confides. “The most important thing is to listen to the children, to take an interest in their difficulties and questions.”
CONNECT WITH THE VOLUNTEERS OF USK PARIS: URBAN SKETCHERS PARIS MARION RIVOLIER BRIGITTE LANNAUD LEVY MATLET CLAIRE ARCHENAULT SYLVIE LEHOUX TULA MORAES STÉPHANIE SENEZ ELISE ROBINEAU MARIELLE DURAND
18 DRAWING ATTENTION
USk Community Grant Project
“I
t is not with the hand that we draw, but with our thoughts!” – a young participant
THE GROUP AT THE MUSEE GUIMET AUGUST 2020 19
SKETCHES BY MARION RIVOLIER 20 DRAWING ATTENTION
USk Community Grant Project
AUGUST 2020 21
USk Community Grant Project
La Bourse Community Grant Project: Secours Populaire PAR MARION RIVOLIER
C
réer des ateliers de dessin sur le vif pour des enfants défavorisés : plus qu’un désir, c’était une volonté qui s’est imposée à Urban Sketchers Paris quand nous avons voulu partager et transmettre notre passion. Nous voulions amener ces enfants à croquer comme nous sur le vif, face aux œuvres, dans les musées, au sein des monuments où ces lieux chargés d’art et d’histoire peuvent leur ouvrir l’esprit, aiguiser leur curiosité et développer leur créativité. Nous nous sommes rapprochées du Secours Populaire français. Cette association a comme mission d’agir contre la pauvreté et l’exclusion en France en s’appuyant sur l’esprit de solidarité. Le Secours populaire enrichit ses actions sociales et humanitaires, d’actions culturelles. Ce qui vient en parfaite résonance avec notre démarche. Avec les équipes du département d’accès à la culture et aux actions éducatives, et leurs dévoués bénévoles, nous avons pu mettre en œuvre et lancer la réalisation de ce programme d’ateliers pour les enfants. Nous avons commencé en avril 2019 et souhaitons continuer jusqu’à juin 2020, si ce n’est plus... En parallèle, j’ai postulé pour la Bourse Community Grant Project, et j’ai été lauréate avec ce projet ! C’est au musée Guimet que nous avons célébré cette bourse avec deux ateliers. Nous décidons de faire voyager les enfants : ils seront les aventuriers, les explorateurs-archéologues de contrées asiatiques à la recherche des temples, divinités, animaux et végétation luxuriante.
22 DRAWING ATTENTION
Pour nous, c’est un travail au long cours et chaque session nous fait progresser. Au début, nous parlions techniques de dessins et nous sentions que les enfants n’accrochaient pas. Peu à peu, nous avons compris qu’il fallait embarquer les enfants dans des histoires! Depuis, nous imaginons des scénarios grâce auxquels nous les faisons dessiner. Le plus important est d’être à l’écoute des enfants, de s’intéresser à leurs difficultés et à leurs interrogations. Le plus difficile est de rester très disponible et capable de changer le cours au fur et à mesure si on voit que cela ne fonctionne pas! Les enfants nous surprennent souvent par leurs connaissances et leur intérêt pour tout. Nous sommes souvent émus lorsqu’ils nous montrent les dessins qu’ils ont réalisés seuls à la maison. Ce qui nous a le plus surpris est le retour du Secours Populaire et des parents des enfants qui est très positif. C’est pour cela que l’on continue ce projet jusqu’à... Nous ne le
USk Community Grant Project
AUGUST 2020 23
USk Community Grant Project
savons pas encore mais nous étions au Palais de Tokyo les 15 et 16 juillet avec 85 enfants! On ne peut pas vous cacher que c’est un très gros travail d’organisation et de préparation et que cela prend beaucoup de temps et d’énergie. On sort souvent épuisé de ces ateliers. Mais c’est très enrichissant de transmettre un peu de notre passion à ces enfants.
24 DRAWING ATTENTION
USk Community Grant Project
SE CONNECTER AVEC USK PARIS: URBAN SKETCHERS PARIS MARION RIVOLIER BRIGITTE LANNAUD LEVY MATLET CLAIRE ARCHENAULT SYLVIE LEHOUX TULA MORAES STÉPHANIE SENEZ ELISE ROBINEAU MARIELLE DURAND
AUGUST 2020 25
Sketcher Spotlight
I Show Up! THIS IS THE MOTTO OF SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR NOGA GROSMAN, AND IT HAS SERVED HER WELL SINCE SHE CAME ACROSS HER FIRST ‘THROWDOWN’ IN THE STREETS OF TEL AVIV. BY JANE WINGFIELD
26 DRAWING ATTENTION
Noga Grosman
DOWNTOWN ORLANDO
AUGUST 2020 27
Sketcher Spotlight
W
andering through the streets of Tel Aviv in 2014, native Israeli Noga Grosman saw a group of people gathered. Curiously, they were all looking down at the ground. She wandered over to find out what they were looking at. “It was a throwdown!” Marina Grechanik was leading a sketchwalk for Tel Aviv’s Urban Sketchers. Noga asked a few questions and “knew I had found my new passion.”
“I
knew I had found my new passion.”
When she returned to Florida where she now lives, Noga, did a bit of research and was dismayed to find no Urban Sketchers group in Orlando, the largest city near her home in Windermere. So she showed up at gatherings within the arts community and online to find other sketchers. She found a plein-air painter who was willing to join as an admin, then, with a bit more research, she learned about a Drink and Draw at a local bar led by Thomas Thorspecken. Again, she decided to show up. Never having been to a bar in her life, she actually showed up thirty minutes early, and found Thor already there. “I had 30 minutes to talk to just him and ask him anything I wanted to know about Urban Sketchers.” He agreed to be the third admin. That’s when her social media skills kicked into gear. She started a Facebook group and applied all of her past skills to promotion, digital design, networking, and management, and soon USk Orlando was in full swing. In 2017, Noga volunteered to be USk Social Media Manager, working with the Communications Team under Communications Director Brenda Murray until Brenda’s term was up. As of July 1, 2020, she joined the USk Executive Board in the newly established position of Social Media Director. Noga manages a team of about ten volunteers who put together and post information to all of the social media platforms USk uses: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, the international blog, etc. She is in close communication with the Board, promoting all USk programs and events as the Board develops ideas. In her new role as Director of Social Media, Noga has the opportunity to play an integral role in planning for the future of Urban Sketchers. Brainstorming together with a team is critical, and her voice will add new ideas based on
28 DRAWING ATTENTION
Noga Grosman
ABOVE & TOP LEFT: ORLANDO AMTRAK, SEABOARD COAST LINE RAILROAD. LEFT: MIAMI BEACH NEWS CAFÉ. TOP: AMSTERDAM WINDMILLS. AUGUST 2020 29
Sketcher Spotlight
her rich and varied background. Her vision is to bring all of her experience to the table to strategize about the future, creating and promoting even more events, and preparing a path for the future of urban sketching, even as we continue to deal with the current health crisis.
Her continued objective is to “connect and engage with the Urban Sketchers’ international community of all languages and cultures, and bring people together under the flag of the Urban Sketchers worldwide movement in the arts.”
CONNECT WITH NOGA
e 30 DRAWING ATTENTION
JAVIER MAS PINTURAS
URBAN SKETCHERS WELCOMES OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR, JAVIER MAS PINTURAS, AN URBAN SKETCHER AND USK VOLUNTEER CURRENTLY LIVING IN SEVILLE, SPAIN. BY CATHY GUTTERMAN
GIRALDA DE SEVILLE ROOFTOPS
AUGUST 2020 31
Sketcher Spotlight
SKETCH BY ANDRE KANO
J
avier has always had an interest in art. His first steps in the field of art were in watercolor, oil and acrylic on large canvas formats. After several exhibitions of his painting, he finished studies in Etching at the Escuela Oficial de Arte de Sevilla (Official Art School in Seville). Always ready to develop something different, Javier plans to complete a degree in Sculpture next year, including modeling, wood carving, stone carving and metal forging. Javier likes to make his own accordion sketchbooks. “When drawing in this type of sketchbook, the most important thing is the composition; you have to tell a story through the drawings and they have to be connected. If you do it like that, you will have an excellent sketchbook! If you only make individual drawings, the result would be the same as in a traditional sketchbook.” After joining Urban Sketchers Seville and attending several meetings, Javier was invited by Inma Serrano to help with the local group. He has attended several USk Symposiums, where he met his best sketcher friends from different countries. Javier currently serves as one of the administrators for the USk Seville chapter, on the USk Membership Team as Regional Leader for Spain and as the Membership Coordinator, and also on the USk Social Media Team. In his new position as USk Membership Coordinator, Javier will lead the Membership Committee in supporting over 300 official chapters and helping emerging groups around the globe become official chapters. With a background in Tourism Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in International Trade, and work experience that allowed him to live in several countries around the world, Javier has excellent credentials. He also speaks five languages: Spanish, English, French, German, and Portuguese, and is currently learning Italian. Javier will use his language skills to reach out to and communicate with chapters around the world. He will also be collaborating with Regional Leaders to problem solve and answer emails concerning membership, and requests from emerging groups wanting to become official chapters.
32 DRAWING ATTENTION
Javier Mas Pinturas
‘BEFORE CORONA’ AUGUST 2020 33
Sketcher Spotlight
About five years ago, Javier decided that, to be in art, he needed a more creative name, so he changed his last name to “Mas Pinturas,” which means “More Paintings.” All of his social media accounts reflect this name. You can email Javier at: membership@urbansketchers.org.
JAVIER’S TIPS: DRAWING IS GOOD FOR THE MIND AND YOUR HEALTH. STAY CREATIVE, FIND TIME FOR YOURSELF, FOR SKETCHING AND FOR CONNECTING WITH YOUR SKETCHER FRIENDS. THIS IS WHY I LOVE USK.
INK SKETCH, SEVILLE
CONNECT WITH JAVIER
f
e
CONNECT WITH USK SEVILLA
34 DRAWING ATTENTION
Javier Mas Pinturas
CORONA SKETCHING
AUGUST 2020 35
Title
IN HIS NEW POSITION AS USK MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR, JAVIER WILL LEAD THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE IN SUPPORTING OVER 300 OFFICIAL CHAPTERS AND HELPING EMERGING GROUPS AROUND THE GLOBE BECOME OFFICIAL CHAPTERS.
36 DRAWING ATTENTION
Title
MEET THE USK MEMBERSHIP TEAM
AUGUST 2020 37
Sketcher Spotlight
S
oy un Urban Sketcher de Sevilla, España. Poseo formación académica en Administración de Empresas Turísticas y Master en Comercio Internacional, por lo que mi experiencia laboral me ha permitido conocer y vivir en varios países. Comencé en el mundo del arte practicando diversas técnicas, tales como óleo, acrílico y acuarelas de gran formato con las que he participado en varias exposiciones. Mi gusto por las artes plásticas me ha inducido a continuar mis estudios en la Escuela Oficial de Arte de Sevilla, realizando con éxito la especialidad de Grabado Calcográfico. En septiembre empezaré la especialidad de Técnicas Escultóricas, con aspectos tan interesantes como el vaciado en yeso de moldes clásicos, la forja y el tallado, tanto en piedra como en madera. Estoy muy ilusionado de poder aplicar mis dibujos en la escultura. Tras unirme a USk Sevilla @usksevilla #usksevilla entré en su administración de la mano de la instructora Inma Serrano. Actualmente mi labor se basa en la administración del capítulo o grupo oficial USk Sevilla y las funciones como Líder Regional USk para España. Además pertenezco al equipo de Redes Sociales, dirigido por Noga Grosman y soy Coordinador Global del Equipo de Membership dirigido por nuestra Vicepresidenta Genine Carvalheira.
JAVIER IN THE ETCHING ATELIER 38 DRAWING ATTENTION
En este equipo cuento con un grupo multicultural de excelentes voluntarios de distintos lugares del mundo. Estoy muy agradecido a cada uno de ellos por su espíritu colaborador y dedicación, ya que con su esfuerzo el equipo está obteniendo los resultados previstos. ¡¡Gracias Chantal Vincent, Alvin Wong, Patrick Ng, Flora Wang, Inma
Javier Mas Pinturas
DINING AT HOME
AUGUST 2020 39
Sketcher Spotlight
Lazo, Jean Edwards, Lolo Wagner, William Cordero, Ivan Jerônimo y Ronaldo Kurita!! Juntos asesoramos, apoyamos y asistimos a los nuevos grupos locales de todo el mundo en su proceso de oficialización para pertenecer a la Comunidad Urban Sketchers. Con la finalidad de activar la comunicación entre los más de 300 grupos oficiales que existen actualmente, el pasado mes de mayo organizamos las dos primeras reuniones globales con los administradores locales de todo el mundo. Entre todos tuvimos un intercambio de ideas, retos y actividades para mantener activos los grupos oficiales en esta época de confinamiento. Para desempeñar las tareas como Coordinador Global del Equipo de Membership resultan de gran utilidad los 5 idiomas que hablo para la comunicación con
los administradores de los grupos de todo el mundo. Actualmente hablo inglés, francés, alemán, portugués y español como idioma materno. Ahora estoy aprendiendo italiano. Atender las necesidades que requieren los administradores locales en su propio idioma es una ventaja en los casos en los que el idioma inglés pueda ser una barrera para una buena comunicación. Personalmente lo mejor de pertenecer a Urban Sketchers ha sido descubrir mi cuaderno de dibujo como un amigo inseparable. Es un medio para transmitir las experiencias del momento que vivo a la otra parte del mundo. Lo más importante es plasmar lo que pasó o lo que está sucediendo en ese momento, como explica Gabi Campanario. ¡¡Amigos Urban Sketchers nos vemos dibujando!!
CONECTAR CON JAVIER
f
e
CONECTAR CON USK SEVILLA
40 DRAWING ATTENTION
Norberto Dorantes
hijo adoptado de Buenos Aires • adopted son of Buenos Aires
AUGUST 2020 41
Sketcher Spotlight
42 DRAWING ATTENTION
Norberto Dorantes
‘BUENOS AIRES POR UN HIJO ADOPTADO’ AUGUST 2020 43
Sketcher Spotlight
ON THE MAY 31 EPISODE OF USK TALKS, NORBERTO DORANTES, ORIGINALLY FROM MEXICO, JOINED US FROM HIS ADOPTED HOME OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. HE TOOK US ON A TOUR OF BUENOS AIRES WITH HIS SKETCHES, TALKING ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE, THE WIDE AVENUES, AND THE DIVERSE MIX OF FRIENDLY PEOPLE. ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES, HE SHARES MORE OF HIS SKETCHES AND TELLS US IN SPANISH ABOUT HIS LIFE AS AN URBAN SKETCHER.
H
e sido un urban sketcher por muchos, muchos años. Arranqué desde que tengo memoria. Primero como un aficionado y adicto a todo tipo de momento. ¡Siempre en vivo! Pero tal vez me convertí oficialmente en un dibujante urbano cuando en mi paso por la facultad de arquitectura decidí que cada sábado visitaría un sitio nuevo para dibujar. Y así fue por varios meses y largas temporadas. Desde mi querida UNAM, hasta las visitas al centro histórico del zócalo. Horas de dibujo y acuarela. El color apareció casi por obligación, ¡puesto que México es color! Pero también muchas otras exploraciones me llevaron al dibujo con grafito y lápices para capturar la luz. Esa época de mi vida la dediqué de lleno a la arquitectura y pocas veces aparecían imágenes de quienes vivían las calles, mercados y plazas. Solo esbozos de garabatos simulando a sus habitantes. Pero que bueno que la comunidad urban sketcher ha dejado su huella en muchos de nosotros, podría asegurar que de casi todos. En mi primer asistencia a un symposium, en Lisboa 2011, como instructor; recuerdo que ya viviendo en Sudamérica, viajé con una pila de dibujos sueltos hechos en hojas a4. Estaba feliz de encontrarme con mis nuevos amigos. ¡Qué gran sorpresa para mi! Me encontré con personas amables, apasionadas del dibujo urbano, como yo, compartiendo sus bellísimos cuadernos de viaje. Que vergüenza sentí, yo solo llevaba mis hojitas! Pero nunca 44 DRAWING ATTENTION
fue un problema (solo para mí en ese momento). El culto al cuaderno de viaje y a dibujar a quienes viven y habitan las ciudades y su espacio ha sido fundamental para mí. La colección de dibujos en esos bellos cuadernillos me inspiró a animarme a capturar las miradas, las posturas, las situaciones y no solamente la arquitectura. ¡Gracias amigos urbansketchers!
BUENOS AIRES POR UN HIJO ADOPTADO
Estoy cerca de cumplir dos décadas viviendo en esta bella y misteriosa ciudad. Siendo extranjero, oriundo de México, siempre me pareció interesante explorar acerca de las formas de registrar el sitio donde vivo a través de mi lente. Me pregunto, ¿hay alguna forma especial de dibujar mi ciudad?, ¿qué influencias necesito conocer para poder comprender mejor cómo se vive en Buenos Aires? ¿existe algún “color” que pueda describir la vida del capitalino argentino?
CIUDAD GRIS PERO NO TANTO
Si pudiera seleccionar un color para describir Buenos Aires sería el gris. Esta ciudad tan joven (tiene un poco más de 200 años de fundada) está formada por edificios clásicos y modernos casi en su totalidad en blanco, negro y gris. Se me ocurre que dibujarla con líneas fuertes y firmes es una forma interesante de representar sus calles en mi cuaderno de viaje. La energía de sus calles y avenidas
Norberto Dorantes
‘CIUDAD GRIS PERO NO TANTO’
‘MOSAICO’
bien podrían ser expresadas con líneas fuertes con mucha personalidad. Solo el barrio de La Boca es colorido, porque en ese barrio de inmigrantes italianos, pintaron sus casas con la misma pintura sobrante de sus barcos. Ahí la influencia Quinquela Martin en sus dibujantes contemporáneos es evidente.
MOSAICO
Como todas las ciudades cosmopolitas, Buenos Aires es un crisol de culturas. Las oleadas de inmigrantes ha generado un mix muy lindo. Viajar AUGUST 2020 45
Sketcher Spotlight
en el transporte público y escuchar tantos acentos es totalmente normal. Y en ese sentido creo que es lo que lo hace más interesante. Seguramente les pasa en estos tiempos de confinamiento en que se extrañan mucho esos viajes. Caminar libremente y quedarse en cualquier esquina para dibujar el movimiento de gente, la vida y la energía de las avenidas, plazas y jardines. Pronto volveremos a las calles otra vez y a encontrarnos con nuestros amigos para dibujar, con cuaderno en mano y nuestra pluma preferida. Y como diría el tango “las callecitas de Buenos Aires tienen ese qué sé yo, ¿viste?” Es una ciudad misteriosa y generosa donde el Río de la Plata invita a cruzarlo. De Pampa Infinita de gente generosa. Lugar de fútbol, de amistad. De rincones y contrastes. Ciudad de mate y tango, del asado de domingo con amigos y la pizza napolitana familiar. De sopa paraguaya o pollo a la huancaina peruana.
EVITA EN MURAL, AVENIDA 9 DE JULIO EN CARBONILLA
Dentro de mis rincones favoritos está Diagonal Norte. Me decidí a dibujar sin pensar, con la única consigna de hacerlo sin ningún tipo de prejuicio, con rapidez e intensidad. Porque así siento esta ciudad. Acá pinte con una ArtPen L y acuarelas.
EL BARRIO DE BARRACAS
El barrio de Barracas, cerca del puerto y de la Boca. Las barracas eran construcciones bastante rudimentarias que se utilizaban para almacenar cuero y carnes saladas, y que funcionaron también como almacenes de esclavos. Hace 46 DRAWING ATTENTION
‘EVITA EN MURAL, AVENIDA 9 DE JULIO EN CARBONILLA’
pocos años se ha venido recuperando. En el corazón del barrio se creó el Centro Metropolitano de Diseño, una incubadora de proyectos de diseño, abierto a cualquier creador que busca un espacio para desarrollar su arte. Como pocas veces, utilicé tinta marrón, con acuarela para registrar el interior de ese espacio contemporáneo, con talleres, espacios abiertos y altos, y luz que penetra en su interior. Tengo mucho para descubrir en BsAs y con mi mirada de extranjero adoptado trataré de hacerle honor a su gente. Gente querida de charlas interminables.
Norberto Dorantes
‘EL BARRIO DE BARRACAS’ AUGUST 2020 47
Sketcher Spotlight
48 DRAWING ATTENTION
Norberto Dorantes
CONNECT WITH NORBERTO
f AUGUST 2020 49
Sketcher Spotlight
CONECTAR CON NORBERTO?
f 50 DRAWING ATTENTION
Endnotes & Reviews SUBSCRIBE TO DRAWING ATTENTION – IT’S FREE
SUBSCRIBE TO THE USK YOUTUBE CHANNEL
USK BLOG
PARKA REVIEWS
BY TEOH YI CHIE
Teoh Yi Chie is an infographics journalist who joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2009. He’s probably better known as Parka from Parkablogs.com, a website that reviews art books and art products. This month Parka video reviews Escoda Ultimo vs Aquario watercolour mop brushes. Check it out!
b
SHARE YOUR CHAPTER’S NEWS WITH OUR READERS Contact us to share your chapter’s news, special events, joint meetups, and exhibitions with our readers. You don’t need to write the story yourself. We will assign a Drawing Attention writer to cover your story! Contact us at: drawingattention@ urbansketchers.org. AUGUST 2020 51
Our Manifesto • We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation • Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel • Our drawings are a record of time and place • We are truthful to the scenes we witness • We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles • We support each other and draw together • We share our drawings online • We show the world, one drawing at a time.
© 2020 Urban Sketchers www.urbansketchers.org