This is a sneak peak at the first new work that I've produced. If you want to see the whole thing, you'll have to wait until the exhibition.
I'm currently working towards my solo exhibition, which is on from 7th December here in Muscat.
This is a sneak peak at the first new work that I've produced. If you want to see the whole thing, you'll have to wait until the exhibition.
Watercolour sketch
Having finally completed and delivered a long-over due commission piece, I can now share it here. I started by visiting the building, taking photos and sketching it in situ. It is a complex building being in 3 parts due to extensions, and this first step was necessary to understand it. Then, I got my lovely client to approve a view and started work. The approved rough Due to the situation with mum and dad, it got horribly delayed as I found it impossible to concentrate. Plus I have Degas who takes up far too much time and attention. However, this week, 2 months late, I delivered it. If you would like to commission me to draw your home, please use the contact form on this site. In April, my annual sketching event raised funds for the Awladna Campaign for Kids Road Safety. I handed over a total of 205 Omani rials ($531 / £350 / 410€). I recently received an email stating that the money was used to purchase 50 cycle helmets. These photo shows a few of them. Thanks to everyone who participated and donated to the event. Photos courtesy of charity founder Amal AlZadjali Whilst drawing and sketching is on a go-slow, I thought I would share this photo of my beautiful distraction - little Degas. I literally picked her up off the street, outside work, on the industrial estate on the 1st April. I am so pleased I did as she is a joy, even when driving me to distraction. She has the sweetist nature and loves everyone, although in return she expects attention 24/7, which she gets as she is very spoilt.
***** I love receiving your comments. Please leave one if you have time. When I heard that the next Urban Sketching Symposium was going to be in Barcelona this year, I told myself I had to go. I set an alarm for when registration opened on March 25th and wooped with delight as I secured myself a place. I bounced around the room as I also got a place on my first choice workshop, conducted by Argentinian architect Norburto Durantes. (Check out his work here). I chose workshops that would complement my style and yet push me to develop further. I contacted friends in Barcelona, booked flights and accommodation, and started the countdown to the big event. The Symposium starts in just under 3 weeks, 11th July, and the sketching world - flickr, blogs, facebook - is full of people's excitement and preparations. Unfortunately, I don't know if I can/should now attend as Mum remains in hospital. I fly to UK on 5th so I hope to decide then. Consequently, my preparation is minimal... I've reordered business cards to give out, and Moo is printing some postcards too. I need to buy a pen for Norburto's workshop, but unfortunately need to locate one in UK as I'm out of time for delivery to Oman. Despite what I wrote in my last post, you will see I've posted 2 sketches from earlier this month... I must have been subconsciously sketching... I found them in my new sketchbook when I met a friend on Friday to sketch. Unfortunately, whilst Friday's venue and company was great, the sketching was a struggle as the 2 sketches show.
No not That Degas, but this Degas... ... a 4 month old lab retreiver/wadi dog cross On 1st April, I picked her up off the street where she'd been hanging around work. She has a sweet nature and I had fussed her and her brother (who had a broken leg) over the previous week. However, on the morning of the 1st, I arrived at work and the security guard told me the brother had been shot but Degas escaped. (There is a big stray problem on the industrial estate and without a dog home system in Oman the police shoot them.) After making some enquiries, I put her in a box and took her home (via the vets) the same day. A 3-month old scared pup. April 1st I have grown up with dogs, and one of things I did not like about my lifestyle was the fact I couldn't have a dog. I think, that having made the decision that I am moving to Barcelona by next Easter, it was easy to adopt her. Naturally, having a puppy in the house has meant some big changes. She is the reason I am struggling to do artwork. It's hard working when you have a puppy. Either she needs 100% of my attention, or when she's asleep I'm too tired to draw. Of course I have managed a few sketches, but not many. In the month I've had her, she's had all her vaccines, been spade, and got a chip. Most importantly, she has put on 4kgs and is growing fast. 19th April This is her PLEASE play NOW face! How can I resist? I apologise for the infrequent blogging, for not visiting your blogs, and for generally disappearing. Normalish service will resume in a few months, when Degas is a little older, I hope. Please remember I love receiving your comments. On Thursday 11th April, I held my annual sketching event for charity. As with previous years, the date was chosen to coincide with the April Worldwide SketchCrawl (see www.sketchcrawl.com for more info). About 15 of us turned up including a couple of families who had super-enthusiastic children. Several young Omanis joined in, never having sketched like this before. Along with Aziz and myself they were then interviewed for the local press (but it's not been published so far). I am still collecting money from people who sponsored me, but it looks like I have raised 205 Omani rials ($535), which I shall give to the charity next week. ***** My next post will explain the delay in posting, unless you follow me on facebook (www.facebook.com/SuePownallArtist), then you will already know. My annual sketching event for charity is coming up on the 11th April. I'm trying to beat the totals from the last two years and encouraging people to attend and/or donate as much as possible.
This year, I am again raising money for an Omani charity. Awladna promotes children's safety whether on the roads or in the home. More details are on the facebook event page: Sketch Muscat for charity I have a friend who lives in a beautiful fishing village just east of Muscat; I sketched there on 12.12.12 at 12.12. I stayed with her last night, going to sleep to the sound of waves lapping on the shore and listening to them again when we had our leisurely breakfast in her garden. After such a lovely start, I headed to the beach with my sketchbooks and camera. Qantab is unique as it is the only village in Oman, so I was told, that still uses old traditional wooden winches to drag the fishing boats ashore to their berths on the sand. I tried to verify the fact, but google comes up with so many results that after an hour I gave up. Despite the slow, chatty breakfast I was still there early enough for some fishermen to be bringing their boats back after the night/dawn fish. Checking quickly that photos were ok, I snapped some shots of the men winching a boat ashore, then grabbed my regular sketchbook (A5) and a pencil, the first drawing instrument which came to hand. There was too much movement, they winch quickly, so I swopped to my A4 sketchbook and captured what I could. Pencil sketch A4 sketchbook ©Sue Pownall 2013 After two boats were brought ashore side-by-side, using adjacent winches, activity ceased at the top of the beach and the elderly fisherman sat on some nets in the shade to rest. He has a lovely face and only 2 or 3 teeth and was happy to sit drinking his water whilst I drew him. I showed him the drawings afterwards and was met with a toothless smile. I then paddled along the beach and back noting 100s of things I wanted to draw... mmm maybe a future project sketching and drawing the village... and sat down on a boat rest to draw the winch (top). I love how old fishing nets have been recycled as rope to lash some pieces together. The sketch took an hour, a really long time for me, and I stopped as I couldn't decide whether to add colour nor could I sit in the sun any longer. It maybe the end of winter but it was around 26c. I foresee more mornings being spent drawing in this village. What do you think? Please leave a comment, if you have time. This year as part of the Muscat Festival (you can see my 2012 festival sketches here, here, here, here, all posts in between until... here), there was a Art Festival consisting of exhibitions and seminars/talks. I was able to attend four of the seminars, and took my A5 sketchbook to them all. They were all very inspiring, I especially liked the talks given by architects with projects in the Sultanate. On another evening, artist Dominique Malarde was very interesting and I am a little annoyed that I missed her workshop due to water issues in my flat.
The talks were held in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque meeting hall, which is why all women, including myself, wore scarves. A bonus for going to the talks in the mosque was I got to see the mosque up close at night, something a non-Muslim normally gets to do. |
About me
I am a nomadic artist travelling the world for inspiration. Here, I publish my sketchbook work alongside my new finished pieces. Tags
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