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Featured Artist: Linda Landon
May/June/July featured artist! We are joined by many talented artists who find Urban Sketching is a way to feed their professional art practice. Linda has shown her work widely and acts as a kind and compassionate inspiration for those of us who aspire to improve our talents.
What is it that draws you to urban sketching?
I first became interested in Urban Sketching so that I could sketch while traveling. I am primarily an oil painter. I have traveled to some interesting places in the world and took a lot of reference photos, but they never really are adequate for triggering my feelings and memories about being in a place. I thought if I could sketch on location I could then have a sketch that represented my response to a place to do an oil painting from. Being involved with Urban Sketchers helped me overcome my shyness about sketching in public. And the big thing that I didn't really anticipate was how wonderful all the Urban Sketchers I have met are. Now I primarily do it just to get out and sketch with other wonderful artists.
What are your favorite urban sketching tools (sketchbook type and size, implements)?
My favorite sketchbook is a Canson XL Watercolor 7 x 10 inch pad. Its a comfortable size, and the 140lb watercolor paper is great. I use pen and ink and watercolor. I have a Whiskey Painters 2.5 x 4.5 inch fold-out portable palette with individual refillable half pans. I like to choose my own colors rather than get a color set that the manufacturer chose. My watercolors are Winsor Newton and Daniel Smith. I also just love sketching with pencils.
What teachers do you follow for inspiration? Online, in books, and in person?
I am inspired by Ian Fennelley, Teoh Yi Chie and Janette Jones.
Do you recommend any online links for technique?
Ian Fennelley has lots of free online demos and some great online classes. Teoh Yi Chie has some great free demos on YouTube. I have never taken an Urban Sketching class, but if I did I would take one of Ian's classes.
Where are some of your favorite places to sketch?
Anywhere there are interesting buildings. Here in Tucson there are some great ones. The first other place I sketched was in ThaIland. I hope to travel again to Europe and Asia someday when I feel safe.
What are some of your favorite sketching subjects?
Mostly I love to sketch interesting architecture. I love the old Spanish colonial and adobe pueblo buildings here in Arizona and California. But I am interested in any very old buildings. Recently the Urban Sketchers Tucson went to a car show and I had so much fun sketching a Ford Model A that I am looking forward to sketching more old cars.
If you could sketch anyplace in the world, where do you dream about sketching?
So many places! The Greek islands, Spain, England, China, Israel!
What other artistic pursuits are you involved in, and do you think urban sketching contributes to them in some way?
I am primarily an oil painter. Definitely Urban Sketching helps me find subjects and record my own view of them for my oil paintings.
Do you have a website of your work you’d like to share with us?
Website is www.LindaStarLandon.com You will only see my oil paintings there. In the future I may include a page for my sketches.
What suggestions would you give to a new sketcher?
Just do it! But join a group. They will help you overcome any shyness about sketching in public, they will encourage you, and share all their best tips with you. You will also make some great friends.
Anything else you would like to add?
I love that Urban Sketchers is an international affiliation. Artists are great people and have something in common all over the world.
Southern Arizona Transportation Museum
The museum is located in the former Southern Pacific’s (also affectionately remembered as the “Espee”) beautiful two-story station originally built in 1907 designed by the SP's architect, Daniel J. Patterson.
The depot located on Toole Avenue downtown was remodeled in 1941 in a Spanish Colonial style, popular at the time. The City of Tucson purchased the former depot in 1998. Restoration of the main depot building and the three adjacent buildings to their 1941 architectural style was completed in 2004.
Kannally Ranch House and Oracle State Park
The Kannally Ranch House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and forms the center of a visit to Oracle State Park. Take a step back in history as you experience the world of early 1900's ranch families.
Tumacacori Sketch Crawl
This Kino-period mission was founded at a pre-existing native O'odham settlement and represents the first mission in southern Arizona.
Honoring Wayne Thiebaud
“.You have to love something—it can be a brushstroke if you want it to be. You have to have something that you feel is real, that you live in. And then when you find that, you look at the best possible paintings from every historical period and kind of work” - Thiebaud paraphrasing de Kooning
