Page 7 - sarah-simblet_sketch-book-for-the-artist

Foreword
MEMORY THEATERS
This pen-and-ink drawing was
made from imagination during
research for my PhD. I was
training in anatomy and studying
how, through history, we have
looked at, understood (and
often misunderstood) our own
bodies. I was also reading among
The Confessions of St. Augustine
his notes on memory, in which
he describes himself flying and
diving in his imagination through
pictorial caverns of knowledge.
These inspirations led me to
invent museums, where spaces
are shaped by nothing more
than the objects and activities
contained within them.
BY DRAWING THE WORLD AROUND US, we learn to see it. By using our imaginations, we learn
to feel truly alive. Combine these things and the possibilities are endless. Drawing
occupies a unique place in every artist and creator's life, be they a child discovering their
vision and dexterity; a sculptor, fashion designer, architect, or engineer; a composer
notating a musical score; a cartographer charting the land; or a quantum physicist trying
to see for themselves the fluctuations of our universe. For me personally, drawing is the
immediate expression of seeing, thinking, and feeling. It is a tool for investigating ideas
and recording knowledge, and a reflector of experience. Drawing is a mirror through
which I understand my place in the world, and through which I can see how I think. I
will always draw, not only to make art, but because it is how I engage with and anchor
myself in life. It makes me feel excited to be alive.
Some of my drawings cover entire walls. They enfold their viewer and are made on joined
sheets of paper that I reach by climbing ladders. Others can be held in the hand or, by
invitation, are made outside as discreet installations, perhaps hidden on a door hinge or a
street bench rail, where I expect them to be discovered by some people, remain unseen by
most, and be slowly washed or worn away. Some are more traditionally framed and hung in
galleries for solo or group exhibitions. I also make drawing books, especially as travel journals.
They occupy a shelf in my studio, and I refer back to them for years after they are made. It is
my love of these, and their importance to so many artists, that inspired the title and structure
of Sketch Book for the Artist. Chosen in any color, texture, shape, and size, a drawing book is
the perfect portable private vehicle for your imminent exploration of drawing.
For twelve years I have enjoyed the privilege of teaching drawing, as a visiting professor
at universities, art schools, and local community classes. I work with people of diverse
ages, aspirations, and experience, from schoolchildren to senior citizens, undergraduates to
fellow professors, night security staff, doctors, geologists, and makers of special effects. The
most rewarding challenge is always the newcomer, still standing by the door, who tells me
firmly upon approach that they cannot draw. I know that with their cooperation I can soon
prove them wrong, and in a few sessions they will be
flying. We can all learn how to draw.
The very first step is to believe it.