I always thought a sketch was done in pencil, a precursor to a finished piece.
I learned that’s a very limited way to look at it.
Some of my early sketches focused on mountain shapes and hovering moons.
In September 2020, encouraged by my former teacher, I took an online class with Adriano Farinella. It was called Sky & Clouds & Land & Air. I had heard of Adriano as a painter of ethereal clouds, and a former teacher at the Baum School of Art in Allentown. The pandemic was raging and no one was going out, and on my own I wasn’t doing much painting at all. I was hoping the class would help me improve the subtlety and nuance of my skies, and that I would expand my ability to invent rather than just copy what I saw.
The first thing we did was sketches. We cut canvas paper into smaller pieces and taped them to foam boards and painted shapes that became something. I thought it was a little bit crazy, but I tried to do the right thing. I remember feeling so frustrated at week two. I was trying to paint these landscapes that looked like Adriano’s, and I couldn’t. I felt like a failure. We had an individual consult, and he said, “If it’s not working, THEN GO THE OTHER WAY.” He said it loudly and emphatically.
It was then that I realized the value of these sketches. On a small piece of paper, you can play with shapes and color. The commitment of time and the investment of dollars is much less than a regular canvas. I worked things out and found elements I liked. I figured out what worked and didn’t work. I began to move in new directions. My work started to look different. I felt a renewed energy about painting.
Over a year later, I continue to work with Adriano. He has an incredible way of helping me to find and follow my creative voice, and pushing me to the next level. But the sketches are where it began.
This sketch was painted quickly with watered down acrylics that look like watercolors.
I don’t use them as often now as I did initially, but in thinking about writing this piece I decided I need to incorporate them again. They keep things open and fresh. They keep me moving in new directions. They keep me searching for and connecting to that inner voice.
For my friends and fans, sketches are a wonderful thing because they cost less than a painting on canvas. They make it more affordable to own a Lori Beneyton original. Take a look at the Sketch Gallery now. The store will open in a few weeks!
The beginning of a new page of sketches.