Working Daily at Art

ByJoseph Travis

This is a partial follow up to 9 ways to use a sketchbook   My daily work at the moment takes many many forms, I draw, I paint and I write poetry. My wife calls me a workaholic, which is probably true but it helps keep me focused. Since May 2016 I have made an extra effort to make progress on my drawing and painting skills, so far that makes 469 continuous days. I started because I knew I either had to start working full-time at pottery and needed a hobby or I was going to get a job and…

Tommy Kane – An Excuse to Draw

ByJoseph Travis

So recently I picked up Tommy Kane’s An Excuse to Draw, as a treat for myself as I reached 400 days in a row sketching, and painting.  I showed the start of the process on instagram but the randomness of my skill level changes daily and is still very frustrating. I probably wouldn’t have shared this book but there was something I discovered with the first few pages that really hit home with me.

Am I thinking too much?

ByJoseph Travis

“Better to put Spirit into the Materials” -Jacques Kauffman This last weekend I travelled to Scotland and back to be part of a friend’s wood and soda kiln firing. The journey was a long one taking me 12 hours for the return trip, so I went well armed with a sketchbook and an iPod loaded with my two favourite podcasts The Potters Cast and Tales of a Red Clay Rambler. As I travelled I listened to the podcasts and sketched what I saw out of the window. It was a pleasant way to travel alone to somewhere I have never…