The Journey

Yesterday I went to downtown DC with my friend Eryn. I decided to do some sketches throughout the day and was amazed by how many I was able to complete.
Here is the first one I did while sitting on the Metro (Transit train in MD/DC/VA area). I had to wear my sunglasses as I sketched this lady sitting reading her book on the train.

We got off the train at L’Enfant Plaza and transferred to the Blue Line so that we could go to “Federal Square”. Once there, we walked to the Smithsonian Castle. As we were walking we passed by the EPA building. While Eryn checked out the inside I decided to sketch the outside. The sketch turned out good and after finishing it, the sketch creativity began to really awaken within me. It was like my body was saying, “More, More.” At the castle, I sat in the lobby and noticed some really nice furniture pieces. There was a black leather tufted sofa chair that caught my eye. It had an antique flair, yet it was still modern and sleek. Then I looked up at the ceiling and saw intricate the details were. The ceilings of the past were built with intense detail and precision. Each aspect of the buildings were taken into consideration. The architects wanted their talent and ability to be appreciated even when one looked up.

When I got up from the lobby area, we walked into a separate room that had many historical pieces. There were antique chairs, glasses, coins, and the list went on. I was fascinated by a chair that belonged to Abraham Lincoln’s secretary. The detail in simply the arm of chair was amazing.

After finishing the rest of our sightseeing, I went to Starbucks. It was extremely cold outside, so I decided to order some hot chocolate. I sat inside sketching and observing for about an hour and a half. There were so many people passing by. Everyone seemed to be going somewhere important. I noticed many signs around me and began to think about what I wanted to document from the experience I was having. Here are a few signs that I saw, a view of the streetlight that I see often, and my starbucks cup.

It was a very good day. I really enjoyed sketching so much and I realized that I can sketch alot more.
Until next time

I am working on trying to paint using only the primary colors; blue, red, and yellow. It is a challenge to use only these three colors to make every other color, but it will develop my skill for seeing color.

Here are my first sketches using this theory/practice.

Pen & Ink sketch in my moleskin journal.

I am laying in the bed as I type this message. I did not want to go to sleep without writing a short note about my day. This afternoon I went to visit my mentor at his gallery, and he gave me a lesson on striving for perfection. He told me about the necessity of knowing “ART”, and stressed the importance of studying artists of the past to see what they were trying to say. The ‘class’ lasted about 2 hours, and I left with a mind full of enlightenment. It is a pleasure to talk with him. I feel that he is pushing me beyond what I even imagined possible. He jokingly said that he has to reprogram my thinking in terms of the level that I am going to.
So, to keep in line with his instruction, I am continuing in my reading and research. Currently I am reading a book entitled, “The Story of Art”. It is extremely good.
Well, until tomorrow, have a great night.

Samella S. Lewis

Art is not a luxury as many people might think — it is a necessity. It documents history — it helps to educate people and stores knowledge for generations to come.

Charles W. Hawthorne

Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision — it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so…The painter…must show people more than they already see…Here is where art comes in.

Today I spent most of my time taking care of some necessary to-do’s. I had to pay some bills and then take my car to get the tires rotated and balanced. However, the entire day was not lost since I was still able to go to my favorite store; Borders Books :). I spent about 2 hours there looking over various photography books, trying to get some ideas. One of the books that I skimmed through was on an artist named Chuck Close. I first started studying his work about 3 years ago. I was drawn to the photorealism in his pieces and I aspired to develop my technique to be able to one day accomplish photorealism. He has an unforgettable style and is actually very well known. His pieces are about 9 feet tall and are mostly facial headshots. I have added some of his pieces below.

I am curious to see who will figure out what it says first.

The Challenge:

Here is the completed design -