There is no Hustel and Bustle on Russle

"Sketching is a means to satisfy the impulse for expression, just as whistling of bursting into song satisfies an inner urge for emotional release. How many times have you heard someone say, "i wish I could draw that," or "If only I could paint this scene?" Since he feels the beauty of the scene or object sufficiently to be articulate about it, why doesn't he do it? The difference between the artist and the layman lies not in intensity of emotional response but in understanding of the laws of beauty. The layman has a sort of abstract reaction, whereas the artist looking at the same scene reacts concretely. He organizes, or designs, his impression. Because he relates tonal values, lines, and color so as to create a composite effect, he can later recreate the scene from memory so accurately that the layman believes that the picture is a faithful reproduction of what he saw, too." -Arthur Black

I think I'm still a layman unfortunately. Lately i have been reading this great book on landscape sketching and have learned heaps! I think I will try sketching for a while focusing on composition and value before I tackle my next piece. It seams that lately i have been painting exactly what I see. I would like form a bit of a plan from now on, make several sketches and compose the piece well before the oils even come out.

Here on Russell Island the slogan is, "There is no hustle and bustle on Russell", but between you and me, there isn't much much of anything here. Sadly this island lakes beauty strange enough, but fortunately Everett and I will be kayaking around the many islands East of Brisbane tomorrow. Hopefully we find a bit of visual excitement on the open water away from the mangrove crowded island we now call home. I'll sketch you something beautiful, focusing mostly on value trend and composition. yeah!