books as creative practice - sketchbook or journal?

[madelaine murphy]

I recently came across this Wiki entry:

"The exhibition of sketchbooks at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in 2006 suggested that there were two broad categories for classifying sketches

• Observation: this focuses on the documentation of the external world and includes many such travel and nature studies and sketches recording an artist's travels.
• Invention: this follows the artists' digressions and internal journeys as they develop compositional ideas"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketchbook

and having trawled the net, and looked in London at some of the shops and galleries that hold artists books, I wondered about the second point above, about the inventive sketchbook that follows the artists journey.

The question is: can the structure, or working method, or the creative approach to a sketchbook direct rather than follow creative practice? Can I frame the question through the structure of the book, and use it to direct my own creative practice?

This question will be posed to a group of practicing artists, through a series of workshops and I wanted the wider view... I welcome all of your thoughts and comments!

[Arlyn Ende]

I am not fond of Gustav Courbet's paintings as a rule, but when I saw his SKETCHBOOK displayed in the last room of his 2009 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, I fell in love with it, and how he used it...and knew I wanted to make such a sketchbook. Unable to handle his book, of course, I memorized the dimensions, and when I returned to my Tennessee studio I set about making one. You may see it in the photos on my page.
If I understand your question, I would reply that my making of my Courbet Sketchbook book FOLLOWED my art practice in that I used my own and others' handmade papers for the pages and inserted some of my prints as pages during the making of the signatures.
I discovered I felt a certain intimidation in actually using the finished book for sketches. Ordinarily I use various sizes of moleskine books or other commercially made sketchbooks such as QuillMark for journal/sketchbooks.
I have a collection of about 25 such books which are covered in various Marimekko fabrics, with handmade paper as end-papers. I have used these over the past 30 years or so as repositories of drawings, specifications, swatches, dye samples, experiments, etc., during the process of completing architectural textile commissions.
I'm interested to read some of the replies from your readers.....Thanks for the opportunity to comment. ~Arlyn Ende

[madelaine murphy]

Hi Arlyn,

Thank you, it was really interesting to read about your practice , and I'll have a look at your books, I'm sure they'll be gorgeous!

I think that's the scary thing - the blank page, and sketchbooks are so precious that it can be difficult to loosen up - so we're working on ways of just using paper to develop ideas and responses, and then looking to bind afterwards, in ways that explore the journey taken through the loose leaves! I'm hoping to have some developed responses in January/February... we'll have to see how this goes!

Many thanks again, it was good to hear from you!

Madelaine

[nicci haynes]

There seems to be a growing interest artist's working drawings...

I keep visual diaries which are a record of my processes and plot my internal journey - I think my sketchbooks are as much my creative practice as finished/exhibited work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35751066@N06/sets/72157624999422117/

 

Nicci Haynes

[madelaine murphy]

Hi Nicci,

Thanks for your response - had a look at your work, and you're so prolific! Really loved Finnegans Wake series, and I can see what you mean about your sketchbooks having the same value as your exhibited work.

In awe of your book on http://drawing000.wordpress.com/tag/nicci-haynes/ - and the musical score, just fabulous!

 

Madelaine