
I'm an urban sketcher in Quebec City. This has not always been so, however. Like so many people, I've spent most of my life believing that I had no talent for art and shouldn't even try. But as a cancer survivor I came across a book by Danny Gregory, titled Everyday Matters. It's a small book that tells the story of Danny and his wife, who suffered a horrible accident that changed their lives forever.
To deal with the stress and trauma of their situation, Danny started learning to draw. The first paragraph of his book tells it all: "I only started drawing fairly recently. But I've found it has a power to change my life and the world around me so profoundly and I'd like to share it with you."
Sketching helped Danny overcome depression and despair and caused him to realize that everything around him was special in its own way. He became re-engaged in life through his sketching and came to appreciate what he had rather than worrying about what he did not.

When I started sketching I gave myself thirty days to 'try' to draw. I'm glad I insisted on the 30-day trial as the first couple weeks of sketching were pretty frustrating. Maybe I couldn't do it, but I tried to draw something every day for 30 days. Some days I just doodled; some days I tried to sketch particular objects or places. Those sketches were mostly horrible, but every once in a while a sketch actually looked, sorta-kinda like the thing I was trying to sketch. The notion of 'can't' slowly slipped away and was replaced with 'wow...I'm having so much fun' and 'I'll never be bored again.'
My view of the world had changed. I was seeing things I'd never seen before, because I was actually looking at the world around me rather than ignoring my surroundings. I could look at anything, anywhere and find something interesting to either sketch or study, looking at the object's shape, shadow and textures. There was this embarrassing time when I was caught looking at a guy's butt as I walked behind him in Place Laurier. I was trying to see how the folds in his checkered pants changed as he walked but I doubt the old woman who gave me a strange look would believe that.


You might be asking, "Why not just take photographs?" I do take a lot of them. But taking photographs doesn't hit the brain in the same way. When I sit to sketch, everything else disappears. My brain relaxes, all tension and troubles go away. It's just me with paper, a pointy device and I'm drawing lines. In many ways it's similar to meditation. It's rare in our hectic lives to achieve that sort of mental singularity and it sure feels good.

Cheers---Larry
http://www.larrydmarshall.com

Larry, I love to read this article. I can see myself inside it. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Larry...thank you so much for sharing it. You've nailed it, EXACTLY.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteCheers --- Larry
Is there a group of urban sketchers in Québec city?
ReplyDeleteHi Jessie, there isn't an official Urban Sketchers International group in Quebec City, but there is an active and fun group of people who get together and sketch all over the city and the region. Your best bet for connecting with them is to check out the following:
ReplyDelete1. http://pages.videotron.com/lebr/croquistes-de-quebec.htm
2. COLLECTIF DES ATELIERS LIBRES EN ARTS VISUELS DE QUÉBEC
WWW.CALAVQ.ORG.
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