USk Chicago Spotlight Sunday: Ken Czech

Interviewed by Wes Douglas (WD)

Spotlight Sunday is a series of interviews designed to introduce and highlight Chicago Urban Sketchers to one of its own. Now that our chapter has eclipsed the 500 member mark, it became more of a challenge to meet every member in person and have a conversation. The hope is that, through these interviews, you will get to know a little more about one artist and read their story in their own words and sketches.

Say “hello” to Ken Czech
On this Sunday, I am proud to introduce you to my friend Ken Czech, an alumni of The America Academy of Art (our host location for the Chicago Sketch Seminar) and a drummer with his group Peace Road. Ken and I immediately found a common bond in our love of music and sketching. Without further ado, welcome Ken and thank you for agreeing to chat with me today.

Ken: Sure thing Wes, I'm looking forward to this.

WD: Since you have been a member for a while and I keep missing you at the USK Chicago gatherings, please tell me your story and what brought you to Urban Sketchers Chicago. How did you hear about us and what do you think about it as a group?

Ken: I found a book on Urban Sketching at Barnes/Noble. As I dug into it, I noticed that "Hey! There are people out there who draw on location, just like I do". This prompted me to investigate USK further and I found the Chicago Chapter with all of you fine folks. I've only been to one event so far, but will surely join you soon in the future. I'm in Schaumburg, so I don't get to the city all that often. I think it's a tremendous activity and valuable resource to:

> Have fun doing what we would do anyway, in a group setting. 

> Learn from others who have expertise in a different area than my favorite routine. 

WD: Ah, only one event so far and here I thought we just kept missing each other. I think my first experiences were very similar to yours. So you were already drawing on location before joining the group? Why do you sketch and how does it help you?

Ken: I sketch because it's something I've always regularly done since graduating from American Academy of Art in '78. I've never been shy about drawing in public. I've met some interesting characters on my drawing excursions. Playboy centerfolds, big-bad biker dudes (who wanted me to draw their prized cycles), great musicians, men & women in our Armed Forces, athletes and little kids who always are up for a draw-session. Each one has a story to capture. It helps me train my eye for, detail, motion, likeness in a figure, gesture, texture, scenery, it goes on and on.

WD: Playboy centerfold?! Bad biker dudes? Ken you sound like a party animal. Beats the heck out of stone cold architecture I guess. So what is your favorite sketch tool? Do you have just one or do you have more?

KC: My go-to sketching tools are typically Micron pens or markers. Something quick & instant drying. I like the permanence of the line. You put it down and BAM!, it's there, good or bad. Forces you to maybe think before you put down the stroke because there's no turning back.

WD: You must have some favorite places where you like to sketch. I wonder if during a long guitar solo if you've ever pulled out a small sketchbook to sketch the guitarist? Ok maybe not. But where is your favorite place to sketch?

KC: My favorite place can be anywhere. I try to keep myself open to any possibility. Some favorite subjects are: musicians - they typically do not move much, so that helps; zoo animals - here you can be brave and try active motion animals like pacing cats, monkeys or sedentary rhinos, reptiles who will pose for you a long time; love to draw people/figures, in motion usually. (appeals to my masochistic sense); love to draw cool architecture, not so much the modern stuff, but old buildings, churches, barns, something with personality.

WD: Great, Ken, you pretty much covered most of the subjects that fit within the urban sketching repertoire. And now looking ahead to your sketches, I see some of my favorites: musicians. Tell me about the inspirations for this first one. I believe you call this "Slide Blues Dobro Player."

KC: Slide blues dobro player, great character study and great player.

WD: I love how this is nice and close up, just like this second one of a blues guitar player. Tell me about this one.

KC: Another great blues player. Wanted the close-up of the face and gesture of the hand on the instrument.

WD: Oh, I like these animals you've sketched in this next one. I always want to call these wildebeasts but I'm sure I'm incorrect. Were you on a safari or the zoo?

KC: Zoo animals, from life. They cooperated nicely that day. Animal anatomy - fascinating in its own way.

WD: These symphonic musicians are full of expressions I love. Your shading is really nice too.

KC: Symphonic ensemble piece. I love the variety of instruments and the body-language of each player with the instruments. A fun interaction to witness. I often go to live music events to check out bands for my music's sake as well as an opportunity to live-sketch.

WD: I think I recognize Sue in this next one.

KC: This was my first at a Chicago USK outing. Very enjoyable and had my son with me drawing as well (who also became a USK member). My outing with USK Chicago at The Field Museum. It was great to meet some of you that I've been following on Facebook. Extra fun to have my son there drawing with me. 

WD: Dang it. This was that one chance I had to meet you in person and I missed you? We must've been lost in that record-setting crowd of urban sketchers who turned out on that warm February Sunday. Very understandable. Why are these scenes special to you?

KC: These are special to me because they tap into my interests at the time. My subjects can always change, but I usually go back to my favorites at some point.

WD: What do you do when you are not sketching? Does your day job incorporate your sketching skills?

KC: When not sketching, I am a drummer in a working band, Peace Road, Woodstock Era Rock. We do songs from artists of the era, a wide range of musical styles. We can be quiet/acoustic or loud/bombastic as the song demands. A fun trip.

I also draw at live-model art-sessions, working on my figures and portraiture. (A never-ending challenge), nowhere to hide with a portrait or figure.

I am a retail display designer for International Paper, designing corrugated POP displays. (Those things we knock over with our shopping carts at grocery stores). Even in this computer-age, my company uses my, what I call "analog" art-skills, markers and hardline illustration, freehand for client ideation sketches. They like that not many do that anymore, so I've carved out a niche of survival doing that.

WD: I used to do those kinds of sketches myself for clients and I agree that clients still marvel at the ability to sketch out ideas. Where can we follow you on social media, such as Instagram, Twitter, or if you have a personal website displaying your sketches or paintings?

KC: I am on Facebook under “Ken Czech” and on Instagram as “d_rummer”

I have a final story which expresses what I think Urban Sketching brings to us.

Some of you may have had similar experiences, I'm sure.

I was on a vacation trip to upstate New York, Adirondack area near Vermont. Pure "Norman Rockwell" mystique. Quaint villages and great scenery. Was staying in a small town and doing an on-location sketch of this old-fashioned gazebo, used by the town for local band-concerts and the like. This was such a great piece of architecture/craftsmanship, that I had to get it in the sketchbook. As I'm drawing this, a grade-school age kid comes up beside me to watch. His mother was nearby watching/enjoying our interaction, keeping a safe eye on the kid.

The kid says to me "That's a pretty good drawing, I really like it".  

We start to converse, "Do you like to draw also? I asked. "Yeah, I draw a lot!"     "I can draw Fred Flintstone!" "You do!?" "That's pretty cool!" I said. 

The mom is beaming. I tear out a page from the book. "Here, draw Fred Flintstone for me." I continue on with my gazebo. The kid is hard at work. Mom is smiling. The kid gives me this great drawing of Fred Flintstone, done from memory. I'm astounded.  "Can you sign this for me?" I said. 

The kid signs it and we exchange drawings, I kept the gazebo but gave him something out of the book. I still have that Fred Flintstone drawing somewhere in the house. A great memory and chance to meet some cool people along the way.

WD: That is a really special story. I have a feeling that if you were to ask any of us urban sketchers why we go out and sketch in public, we all know if we put up with the elements and constantly moving subject matter that it will be worth it because of one human moment that matters. 

Thank you Ken for sharing your stories, your talent and your sketches with us today. I know I learned so much more about you today. Now all I have to do is run into you at an upcoming sketch crawl.

Spotlight Sunday – Ginny Pitre-Hay

Spotlight Sunday is series of interviews designed to introduce and highlight Chicago Urban Sketchers individually. Now that our chapter has reached nearly 500 members it has become more of a challenge to meet every member in person and have a conversation. These posts concentrate on individuals and speak in their own words and sketches.

Meet Ginny Pitre-Hay!
Interviewed by Barbara Weeks

Barbara Weeks: Welcome Ginny! Thank you for letting us shine the spotlight on you!
Let’s start with your telling us a little bit about yourself and how you discovered your love of art.


Ginny Pitre-Hay: My first memory of art was as a child watching my mother draw a ballerina and an angel. It was mesmerizing watching these figures appear out of nowhere—pure magic. Not surprisingly I studied art in college, graduating with a BFA from the University of Texas in Austin. My subsequent career as a graphic designer allowed me to pursue my passion for art “magic”. However, it was a three-year sojourn to Southern California that introduced me to the art of plein air painting and sketching. Sketching has since become a regular part of my life.

Barbara: What prompted you to join USk Chicago?

Ginny: A friend told me about the Urban sketching movement, connecting me to both the book ”The Art of Urban Sketching” and the Facebook group. This path led me to Chicago group. I love seeing the unique ways in which artists interpret their surroundings. We have our own urban sketching group here in Oak Park that goes out early Saturday mornings to sketch around town. Ted Gordon, an urban sketcher, started the group “In Art Pursuit”, on Facebook. It’s open to anyone who wants to join us.

Barbara: I think there are as many reasons to sketch as there are sketchers. Why do you sketch?

Ginny: I sketch to conjure the magic of images appearing on paper. I also love the tactile feel of the pencil, pen, or brush as it moves across the surface. Images reveal stories and I love a good story –particularly a good visual story. Parks, architecture, and the random gathering of people in a busy city are just waiting to be captured and wrangled onto a sheet of paper.

Barbara: There is something about the feel of the pencil on paper or the paint and water flowing together that draws me (no pun intended) to sketching, too.
Do you have a favorite sketching medium?

Ginny: I usually keep it really simple. My go-to medium is ink, usually micron pens, a brush pen and a small travel set of Winsor Newton watercolors. I am increasingly experimenting with new papers, colored pencils, markers, and occasionally pastels. It is an ongoing process of exploration.

Barbara: What’s your favorite subject matter?

Ginny: Drawing people. I am attracted to the fluid gestures of people in groups as they interact with one another, or the individuals deep in their own private world. They fascinate me with their untold stories. Increasingly though, I am drawn to buildings and cityscapes with their repeating patterns, varying shapes and groupings, with an added advantage—architecture doesn’t squirm or abruptly get up and leave.

Barbara: If you could sketch anywhere in the world where would that be?

Ginny: Cuba is on my radar—to immerse myself into the culture, the old and the new, sketch the people, the architecture and, of course, the vintage cars.

Barbara: What an opportunity that would be! Is there an artist that has had a great influence on your work?

Ginny: The drawings, especially the figure sketches of Leonardo DaVinci, and both the art and drawings of David Hockney and Ben Shahn.

Barbara: Ben Shahn is one of my favorites, too! His book The Shape of Content is outstanding!
Is there a sketch you are most proud of?

Ginny: My sketch of San Marco Basilica in Venice. It was the first time I sketched such an architectural behemoth. I dove right in with ink and was pleased with my attempt.

Barbara: Do you have some tips to share on sketching on location?

Ginny: Pack lightly. Take some time looking around before deciding where to set up. Sometimes the best view is behind you. A simple viewfinder is helpful in framing up a scene. Bring a small seat/chair for a long sketch, as handy benches are rarely nearby. In the city, scout the scene and beware of bus stops or loading zones, which can later seriously block your view. When I first started out, I trusted a 15-minute loading zone. Ha! Early morning and late afternoon have the best shadows that add drama and definition to a scene. As for onlookers interested in your painting, embrace the children. They love the magic of what you are doing no matter how good or bad the sketches.

Barbara: What do you see as the benefits of sketching?

Ginny: I believe that “a sketch is worth a thousand words”. The cave paintings of Lascaux speak to us; no spoken language is required. Sketching regularly keeps my skills sharp and supports my other artistic endeavors. As a graphic designer, sketching is invaluable in rapidly creating multiple solutions to a project. As a painter and sketcher, I often do quick thumbnails of different views of an area before I commit to a scene. I will sometimes use the sketches, or parts of them to develop a larger painting.

Barbara: We know you’re on FaceBook. Do you have a blog or other social media accounts where people can see more of your work?

Ginny: I am on Instagram, just recently, and have a web site—pitrehayart.com

Barbara: Thanks, again, Ginny, for taking the time to chat with us and for sharing your sketches and thoughts with all of us!

Spotlight Sunday - Chris Buczinsky

Spotlight Sunday is a series of interviews designed to introduce and highlight Chicago Urban Sketchers individually.  Now that our chapter has over 500 members it has become more of a challenge to meet every sketcher in person and have a conversation.  These posts concentrate on individuals and speak in their own words and sketches.


Chris Buczinsky - sketcher, artist, teacher
Interview by Alex Zonis

Alex Zonis: Thank you for agreeing to do a Spotlight interview, Chris.  Let's start with how you pronounce your last name. Several sketchers asked me… :)

Chris Buczinsky: You pronounce it in three syllables: BUZZ as in the sound a bee makes. INN as in an inn in Indonesia. And SKI as in the winter sport. BUZZ-INN-SKI.

How did you first hear about the Urban Sketchers community and what made you decide to join Urban Sketchers Chicago?

I first heard about urban sketching through the book The Art of Urban Sketching, which showed me just how good you could get at this game! But a blonde, Russian painter in my Tuesday night portrait drawing class (Alex Zonis) alerted me to the presence of a Chicago chapter. It was all very Romantic, like being let in on the French Resistance in WWII. 

When did you start sketching?

I began drawing while writing my dissertation for my Ph.D. in English literature at Northwestern. Graduate school overdeveloped my left-brain, threatening to permanently tilt me in that direction. Ever since then, I have needed drawing to balance me out. I started by drawing from solely my imagination. I illustrated a children’s book which I self-published, but when I realized I wouldn’t improve if I drew only from my imagination, I began drawing from life.  I started a regular sketching practice later, when my son was on the swim team in high school—about 7 years ago. I was more interested in the people watching than in the swimmers swimming—even when my own son was racing! I was a lousy swim Dad.

Why do you sketch?

I sketch to practice my drawing skills, of course. I do it for relaxation, partly. It also keeps me in the moment, slows me down, teaches me to attend to the world and to others.  It’s a nice record too—of day-to-day life and vacations—cities I’ve visited, plane flights I’ve endured, hikes I’ve taken. Ultimately, I’m trying to capture my feeling for the day-to-day beauty of things.

What are your favorite subjects to sketch?

I like people. All kinds. I love how we all can’t help broadcasting who we are without even speaking a word. I especially like children—but they are always moving so fast! I love old people because of all the lines in their faces—and they’re slower! And I love drawing women, all their wonderful hairstyles and patterned dresses.

I love festivals and fairs, the sensory overload of them. I’m a big fan of the Brookfield Zoo, and I reserve some sketchbooks just for my visits. My favorites are the giraffes, rhinos, and seabirds--especially the penguins. In the summer I garden. I grow vegetables, draw them, and then eat them; I get everything I can out of my veggies!

What are your favorite sketching tools?

I love my Derwent Sketching Pencil (HB). It has a large-diameter lead that I can sharpen for details but blunt for quick, mass drawing. It also has a nice heft—big enough for my big hands. I use it to rough-in quickly, and then go in with a Tombow 2B if I’m adding value or 2H if I’m just doing some line work or I want to add color.

I use Moleskin Watercolor Sketchbooks of all sizes. They open up nicely, they have a handy back pocket, and their covers repel water.  When I have time to watercolor, I use Holbein’s Pro Compo Travel Kit.  It holds twelve 5 ml tubes of watercolors, two brushes (2 and 8) with a brush holder, a pan, and a foldout palette. It’s totally cool, like an artist’s survival kit.

What is your “day” job? What do you do when you are not sketching?

I teach English—writing and literature—at Calumet College of St. Joseph, a small Catholic college south of Chicago, in Whiting, Indiana. I spend my days lesson planning, teaching, grading, advising, and attending meetings. It’s a great job for an artist. I have to read a lot, so I get to learn. Teaching young adults also helps keep me young. And I sketch at the meetings. I sketch my students when they take exams, and I hire students to sit for me, early in the morning, before the day starts. And of course I can devote my summers to art.

Do you have a website, blog or social media accounts where people can see more of your work?

I have a website, a blog of sorts, which I mainly post to during the summer months, when I am not teaching. It’s www.kryztographics.com. It’s the one place in my life where my drawing and writing come together in a meaningful way.

And something else.

I began my adult interest in art by illustrating for children and by making naïve paintings in acrylic sgraffito. This month I’ll be traveling to Guatemala on a mission trip with my school. I’ll be doing lots of art with the children in the village of La Labor. It will be my first time visiting Central America, and I’m really looking forward to it.

AZ: This interview was conducted before Chris went on his Mission trip. He is now back from it, and you can ask him about details when you see him on a sketch crawl. He has some cool stories!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and sketches with us, Chris! We will see you on our next sketching event, and I will see you at the next portrait class, thankfully not in 1940's French underground, but in Fine Arts building on Michigan Ave!

Spotlight Sunday - Ted Gordon

Spotlight Sunday is a series of interviews designed to introduce and highlight Chicago Urban Sketchers individually.  Now that our chapter has reached nearly 500 members it has become more of a challenge to meet every member in person and have a conversation.  These posts concentrate on individuals and speak in their own words and sketches.

Interview by Andrew Banks
Spotlight on Ted Gordon: 3D Character Animator, Urban Sketcher, Plein Air Painter

Hi Ted, thanks so much for taking the time to talk and to tell our group a little bit about yourself!

How did you first hear about the Urban Sketchers community and what made you decide to join Urban Sketching Chicago?

My friend Ginny, a member of my early-morning sketching & plein air group, recommended USK Chicago to me. She was correct, it was right up my alley!

Did you sketch before finding USk Chicago?  If so, when did you start sketching?

Yes, as a kid, I was very interested in drawing, comic books, science fiction & fantasy illustration, computers - all that stuff predicted my future career. Life Drawing was my favorite part of art school - where I could see my skills increasing dramatically. Sketching outside of sessions keeps me in practice. My favorite artists have done a lot of sketching ‘in the wild’. I’ve been following their example.

Can you tell us a little bit about your career as an animator?  Does urban sketching ever have an impact on your day job?  If so, how?

I have been working as a 3D Character Animator in the games industry since 1999. I use a combination of animation skills and specialized software, including 3DS Max, Maya, and Motionbuilder, to create the motion for people, monsters, animals, and robots for video games.

I believe an artist’s career is as much about what is done outside of work hours to become a better artist as it is about what is done in the studio. I like to draw on the bus, I have a weekly plein air group, I do life drawing & life sculpture, and I like to go out and explore areas with my camera. Most recently, I explored Chinatown before people filled the sidewalks for the day. I work on portrait & house portrait commissions during my lunch hour and I make my plein air paintings available for sale on my site.

I highly respect the Disney Animators that established my industry’s Principles and actively practiced life drawing and plein air painting as part of their job. They are my role models. That, and my love for drawing, painting, & animation, motivate me. Building my skills of observation, through practice like Urban Sketching, makes me a better animator & artist.

You are also a member of the Plein Air Painters of Chicago group and many of your urban sketches can also be considered plein air paintings.  There is real neat crossover between our two groups, and we’ve personally talked about this before.  In your experience, what distinguishes urban sketching from plein air painting, and, having been a member of both groups, are there any specific skills or lessons you have learned from one group that can apply to the other?

I’ve written a Tuesday Tips and Tricks blog entry about this, so it is easy to answer. :) In my opinion, the differences boil down to three things: Time, Narrative, and Style. While both are created on-location, and in a single session, an Urban Sketch can be created in minutes, while a plein air piece could take all day to complete. Urban Sketching, with its journalistic roots, is often more literally narrative - even including text in the images. Finally, Urban Sketching can be more experimental with style. To the contrarian reader, I’d have you point me to a plein air painting with a cartoon-style character in it! :)

Both groups are about direct observation, drawing and painting on-location. I find them more similar than different. I suspect that my own work will organically combine elements of each the more I do of both!

Is there a specific subject matter you are particularly drawn to or inspired to sketch?

I like to do portrait & house portrait commissions. When I’m out and about, I am attracted to figures and architecture ‘in the wild’ too.

What inspires me tends to be the unusual, the well-lit & appealing. It’s that moment on a train, when I see an intriguing character. It’s when I spot a tree, exploding full of color from back-lit light. It’s when I find rusty old controls on a conservatory pipe. Those moments, I think, “Oh yeah, that’s getting drawn!”

What is your favorite medium to sketch with?

I’ve been carrying a fountain pen, a ballpoint & watercolors. For precision and speed, I prefer ballpoint. For even faster, but looser, I prefer the fountain pen. If I have more time, I like to add watercolor washes.

Are there any Urban Sketchers who inspire your own work?

I’m a big Don Colley fan. He shows what a life of regular practice can do. His videos, sketching in ink were so exciting to find. I love the variety of work that USK Chicago and the international group share. Everyone has inspirational work in them.

You will also be an instructor at this year’s Chicago Sketch Seminar for the second year in a row.  What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Seminar?

I’m looking forward to seeing all the new sketches my students will make, the new location, and the other instructors’ classes!

Do you have any websites, blogs or social media accounts where people can see more of your work?

I sure do!

You can follow me here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motionimpossible/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tedsimages

Please contact me through http://www.tedgordonart.com/contact/ to inquire about commissioning original portraits & house portraits.

You may order prints of my work at: http://www.tedgordonart.com/order-prints/

You can find examples of my animation here: www.MotionImpossible.com Also, visit a Dave&Busters, movie theater, or amusement park near you and play Jurassic Park Arcade! I loved animating those dinosaurs!