Local London
A Sketch Journal: Barnes, Mortlake and Sheen.
by Charles Leon.
IT ALL STARTED WHEN…
I have always carried a sketchbook with me whenever I’ve travelled and have always doodled in meetings. However, during the COVID lockdown, I wanted to do something I enjoyed, that I could do alone and I could do outdoors. So I began sketching whatever took my fancy that was within walking distance from home.
I often start things and sometimes find it challenging to keep going until it becomes a habit. Thus began the thirty-day sketching challenge to myself. That was the beginning of March 2021 and, as I write this, I have sketched almost every day since then. Now it’s a habit, and something feels wrong if I haven’t sketched something in a day.
The other huge benefit was reconnecting with my local area and seeing things that I usually take for granted or just walk past without thinking. This has been a source of enormous joy. Who knew that our areas were so rich? I think this is true of all local areas; it’s just a case of adjusting our eyes and finding interest in everything.
Some clever neighbour dropped a note through my door to suggest that we join NextDoor, a social media site focused on local areas. So, I joined and found a wealth of missing cats and local deals. So, I posted one of my drawings, St Marys, Mortlake and then everything changed. The reaction and the engagement astonished me. Local people want to talk about local issues. They want to see where they lived, where they were married, where they loved and where they lost. They want to engage in the history, the people and the places. Who knew?
Sketching brings me a great deal of joy. We all need some joy in our lives. I hope that others will join me in sharing that joy.
Stories are told to be shared and to be passed on. So, these sketches are something I wanted to share. They are sometimes an odd mix of styles and choices, but I’ve loved reconnecting with sketching, and I hope that others will look with fresh eyes and find new stories and pleasure in the things that surround us every day.
Sketching has always been a part of my life in one way or another. Part of my work as a designer is to communicate an idea in my head to someone else. Sometimes words can’t explain something as well as a sketch.
When my children were very much younger, we would sit at the kitchen table with a roll of lining paper and start telling stories. Anyone could scribble or sketch down anything; it was part of a joyous game, a combination of marks on paper, wish fulfilment, words, activity and above all, something which was all about doing and story-telling. That sense of fun and joy that sketching can create has always been with me. Now it’s been passed on to them.
Sketching is a skill, like driving a car, nothing more. However, it can open doors to seeing and connecting with things in new and fresh ways. I love the ordinary and the familiar because they have stories to tell, every bit as interesting as the grand stories that historic buildings can tell.
The lockdown during the Pandemic allowed me to reconnect with both sketching and my local areas. It was something I could do without disturbing anyone and something I could share. In addition, sketching probably kept me sane.
It occurred to me that other people might be interested in connecting and talking about our local areas, and the sketches have done precisely that.
And if you’re interested in doing your own drawing and sketching on location, with a group of great artists, then I hope you’ll check out the art retreats we’ve planned, with Anne Kupillas and myself as leaders at www.eatpaintlive.com We host day workshops and art retreats with small groups (no more than 9) in stunning locations. I invite you to join us on the first retreat in Ojai, CA in September! There is just ONE spot left – hope to see you there!
***And check our individual blogs and live art streams out on Instagram to see what we’re up to daily:
@eatpaintlive
@charlesleon917
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