Interview by Wes Douglas, USk Chicago
For our
Spotlight Sunday featured artist, we are talking with Susan Hanley, an artist who
joined Urban Sketchers Chicago just about a year ago. It was at the 2015 Chicago Sketch Seminar where I first met her and just now discovered that it was where she first joined our group. Since then, Susan has been prolific with her posting of sketches, not only in the USk Chicago Facebook group, but also on Instagram (@snh2030).
It would seem that Urban Sketching has helped rekindle Susan's passion for sketching and painting and her confidence is soaring. She was one of the artists who participated in the Blicks Lincoln Park Art Show last year.
Here is what else I learned
about Susan and some of the sketches she is sharing with us today.
WD: Hi Susan. Thanks for chatting with me here today. My first question is: Can you tell us how you learned
about urban sketching and what convinced you to join Urban Sketchers Chicago?
I learned about Urban Sketching from my son Tom
who is a member. He was a student at the American Academy of Art and saw a
presentation. I reached out to Andrew [Banks] and joined the group,
but never attended any of the events. I actually felt a little intimidated to
join in on the events and wasn't sure what to expect. When the announcement of
the Seminar came out I decided that was my time to join in. It was a perfect
way for me to learn more about the group and urban sketching. It's an extremely
encouraging and welcoming group of people and the Seminar quelled any nerves I
had about participating in future events. In fact, I haven't missed any since!
WD: Well I hope you are not intimidated now. It's always fun to see what you will sketch next. Why do you sketch? And how does it help
you?
I
sketch for several reasons; wanting to capture a scene, work out an idea or
stress relief. The main reason, however, is that it completely engages a
different side of my brain, a side that doesn’t get a ton of exercise on a
day-to-day basis. The collaboration of eye to brain to hand is always fresh and
interesting. Put different materials into the mix and there are never any two
experiences that are exactly alike. In other words, never boring.
Sketching
is always challenging for me and presents little problems that I have to solve.
I love the aspect of the unexpected. I have an image in my head of what the
finished sketch will look like and it inevitably takes a different trail. One
truth I’ve found is that I’m happy with the end result when I let it take on a
life of it’s own and follow the detours. When I force a picture to stay on
track and to look like what I had imagined is exactly how it winds up looking…
forced.
Sketching
also helps me fully engage with the environment I’m in. I remember the sounds,
the smells, the overheard conversations that are
all absorbed while sitting and sketching.
WD: What is your favorite sketching
tool?
This is
a very tough question. I start every sketch lately with a mechanical pencil. My
recent favorite is an Alvin Draftmatic. That paired with a kneaded eraser gets
general proportions and composition.
WD: Yes, I can see how much you feature that pencil in your posts. Those mechanical pencils are especially good when you don't want the lines to flair out on you. Where is your favorite place to
sketch?
The
good old coffee shop is my favorite spot to sketch. There’s coffee, someplace
out of the way to sit and tons of people on their cell phones not noticing me
sketching them. Next favorite is doctor’s waiting rooms. Not that I enjoy
waiting for doctors, but the sketching is a perfect distraction and a way of
feeling productive while at the hands of someone else’s schedule.
WD: I agree Susan. Sometimes when I see that other people are having a bad day, it puts me in a better mood. So I see you sent me a few wonderful sketches. What was the inspiration for the
sketches you selected?
The
sketches I selected are special because not only am I happy with the end
results, they capture a moment in time and by sketching them the memories are
even more vivid than if I’d taken a photo or just committed them to memory.
WD: I
was so excited to check out the sketches you sent. Why are these scenes
special to you?
“Shakespeare Garden” is special to me because it’s a spot
I’ve been sketching since I was in high school growing up in Evanston. Except
for some trees growing much taller and blocking part of the scene, it’s mostly
unchanged. It was a warm summer day and I can transport back to the sounds of
the cicadas and the heat of the sun just by looking at this sketch.
“Comet Café” is a favorite diner in Milwaukee. From
the booths you can observe the people seated at the counter unobserved. I love
all of the textures and details of the interior and the people tend to linger a
while making it easier to finish their gestures.
“Newberry Library” is the result of the Urban Sketch
Seminar on the Velasquez Palette. This was my first experience with a limited
watercolor palette and it was a picture that really felt like it had a mind of
it’s own, but in the end I really appreciate all of the things that 3 pigments
and some water achieved.
Wildwood Water Tower” is a scene I drive by often. I love
the structure of older water towers. They remind me of modern day ruins. The
day was gray and stark, but the sketch isn’t bleak and that reflects how it
felt. For me it captures a feeling of spring about to return.
WD: What do you do when you are not
sketching? Does your day job incorporate your sketching skills?
My day job doesn’t incorporate any sketching skills. However, I
feel like the problem solving that you develop in sketching does help me. I can
pull back, see a bigger picture and decide what I want to focus on. All skills
you hone in sketching.
WD: We are so glad to have
artists like you, Susan, in our group because you have found an active group of
friends who have helped you to rekindle your love for sketching and painting.
Thank you, Susan, for sharing your time and your sketches with us.
Spotlight Sunday is series of interviews designed to introduce and highlight Chicago Urban Sketchers individually. Now that our chapter has reached 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. All sketches are ©2016 Susan Hanley.
