...on sketching.

I never sketch enough.

...easel to easel.

Working on one creation at a time only happens in the moment. Except for quick sketches, figure drawing sessions and the rare plein air painting, I've always bounced from easel to easel to drawing-board to sketchbook and back again. All projects are happening simultaneously. It's a dance that keeps the ideas vibrating. Orbiting. Flowing. Fresh. The possibilty of new perspectives. Seeing the overlooked. The time away from each artwork is vital. But so is maintaining an intimate relationship with each piece. Balance. Individuation. It's the way I've evolved in my studio. It's how I think. And pivotal in my orbiting is the sketchbook. A delicious meander into streams of consciousness. Starting with a cup of tea.

...looking.

If the only way to know something is to try and understand its essence then sketching might be the best way. I've been studying the coastal rocks at nearby Lands End for a long time. These big chunks of stone have been sculpted by wind, water and time. Now they're drawn by me. They want easel time and and will be getting it. 

...doing lines.

Walking into the stream of consciousness accompanied by pen and sketchbook.

...sketching.

Several recent random sketches that accompany my journaling...

Sketch Exhibit Encore: Saturday March 19th.

I've decided to encore my First Annual Sketch Exhibit. It's this Saturday March 19th from 11am to 5pm. Can there be too much of a good thing? Not when people get together to talk about art and share in the positive and uplifting discourse that creativity inspires. That's how it was last Saturday: a tremendous gathering of the big hearted and open-minded. So, why not leave the artwork up for one more week?

Come one, come all...

Jay Mercado Studio -- Saturday, March 19, 11a - 5p -- 4754 California Street @ 10th Ave.

Moving Meditation

The Jam Reversal

The text on the bottom of my favorite coffee mug reads: "The Jam Reversal." I have no idea what that means. I do know the cup was designed by Toshihiro Aoki on June 27, 2001. That's about when I bought it at a shop on Clement Street. Blue dots sit on a red field wrapping around the sides. Lately this familiar vessel has been finding its way into my morning sketches. Familiar things make for great starting points. 

Daily Sketch

Everyday make a sketch. That's the discipline. It doesn't have to be executed with the intent of creating a pen and ink masterpiece. In fact, that's not the point at all. The idea is to get lost in the observation of something or anything. The less I think about it the better. Just trust and draw. Maybe it's the same view everyday for a week. Perhaps it becomes something more ambitious. Or maybe it's just a scribble that tells me all I need to know about what I saw. It doesn't matter. What matters is everyday make a sketch.