During the summer months, our wonderful community of dedicated artists focused on the subjects of time and space in their sketchbook work. We used the concept of Drift Time in relationship to the lazy days of summer to guide a more relaxed approach to image making and Space Time in connection to visual dimensionality to aid in the formation of engaging, impactful environments. Continue reading

During the month of June, artists in our Re-Imagine programs worked with the subject of Reflections in their sketchbooks and related studio projects. We studied the visual impact of nature mirrored in bodies of water and the distinctly inverted, remarkably abstract views found there. Continue reading

Over the past few months, artists in our Re-Imagine program have been focusing on the themes of Connection and Restoration in their sketchbooks and related studio projects. These subjects have been considered through the lens of natural phenomena, ecological concerns, and landscape abstraction. Continue reading

During the month of September, artists focused on the concept of Extraction by selecting a specific area of an image made in the previous few months and developing a series from it. New works were constructed through multiple prompts that included working in a circular format, exploring new materials, methods, and surfaces, and infusing images with the spirit of contemporary artists of interest. The images below showcase these ongoing serial explorations.

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During the month of December, we worked with the concept of emanations, a thing or issue that spreads out from a source, while viewing videos of natural energies, forms, and phenomena. These include Reindeer Cyclones, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, snowflake designs, ice crystal growing on glass and ice crystals freezing inside bubbles. Each of these subjects were explored on sketchbooks pages using a 5"x 5" square format and a wide range of drawing and painting materials.

 

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During the month of November, the artists in our Envision Program explored the concepts of Constellations and Murmurations in their sketchbooks. These subjects provided engaging opportunities for working with complex environments and natural phenomena while working with a succession of drawn and painted layers. Continue reading

Over the past few months, artists in our Envision program have been researching the subject of Environments in their sketchbooks. They have been exploring the meaning of the word itself and its relationship to the natural world, our built environment, physical space, ecological concerns, future realms, and our material reality.  Continue reading

During the month of July, we explored the physical world in our sketchbooks by observing the built structures and shifting forces of the earth's surface. We focused on the the layers, textures, and patterns seen in areas of strata and erosion and experimented with ways they could be visualized through layered ink and watercolor washes, linear mapping, combining wet and dry media, and by using dry earth pigments. Continue reading

This summer we used our sketchbooks to gain a better understanding of the physical world that surrounds and supports us everyday. During the month of June, we explored the concepts of tracings, filaments, and symbiosis through naturalistic drawing approaches, linear mapping with ink and experimental color, masking tape topography, and printing with natural forms.

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Over the past six months or so, we have been busy creating work for our upcoming Water Worlds exhibition, opening June 10th, 2022 at the Anchor Building Gallery in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Hosted by artist and marina owner Virginia Carstarphen, the show will be installed in a massive marina structure located on Lake Saint Clair that is usually reserved for boat storage. We are very grateful to Virginia and her husband Todd for providing this exciting opportunity for all of our artists. Continue reading