Sasa's Sketchbook 3

My painting ended up in the poster for a conference ( Exploring the Potential of Restorative Justice for Sexual Violence ) arranged by University of Leuven in Belgium and European Forum for Restorative Justice. More information can be found from here . (The painting is called Together / 同根生 , 2011)

I started doodling today around this week's Illustration Friday topic Silence. I had no plan in mind, just drew whatever came to my mind: the lady who told me to be quiet at work this week when I talked to my colleague in our open office, sunset by lake, underwater scene, night sky, the Chinese word 安静... Very pleasant and stress free approach to the theme, may try it again :-) (I have been *silent* for a long time.  My excuses: hunting for a flat, moving, going for a holiday, decorating the new place.... But now I am happily settled and have a beautiful workspace so no more excuses. It is a promise.)

I am moving to a new flat next month and starting to feel quite sentimental about the old one. So I decided to start documenting it by drawing. Here is the first sketch: the sofa.  I hope I have time to do more before we move...

By Edith Södergran I, my own prisoner, say so: life is not the springtime clad in light green velvet, or a caress that one seldom receives, life is not a resolve to go or two white arms that hold one back. Life is the narrow ring that holds us captive, the invisible circle we never cross, life is nearby happiness that passes us by, and the thousand steps we cannot bring ourselves to take. Life is to despise oneself and to lie motionless on the bottom of a well and to know that the sun is shining up there and golden birds are flying through the air and the days swift as arrows are shooting by. Life is to wave a short farewell and go home and sleep . . Life is to be a foreigner to oneself and a new mask for every other person who comes. Life is to be careless with one's own happiness and to push away the unique moment, life is to think oneself weak and not to dare. Found this poem by Edith Södergran in English. (Translation by David McDuff.) I lov...

Doodling while watching football... Black sketch pad is not really for the nightless nights of midsummer but couldn't resist it when I found it from my art storage. Need to start using it more.

Last weekend I was sketching in Mile End with a group of friends. We started at Tower Hamlets Cemetery, drawing a mausoleum, sitting on a foot path, harassed by ants. Tower Hamlets Cemetery Next we wanted to find a shadier place with a park bench. We found one but the view was a bit less spectacular. Tower Hamlets Cemetery Then we bought some food from supermarket and had a lunch in Mile End Park.  Mile End Park After lunch we walked to Victoria Park via beautiful canal path. I didn't do any sketches there but I think I will go back with my sketchpad some time soon. Nice day.

...or the sky's the limit... Roberto invited me to join the Drawing Challenge he hosted. I absolutely loved his theme 'No Limits' but found it really difficult, possibly because of my limited set of art supplies :-)  I am traveling with only a couple of pens and a small black sketchbook, which by the way I have managed to fill in during this trip, this is the last spread...