Friday Finds
Titled “Roebourne Days,” this sketchbook is an ode to and creation of the indigenous youth of Western Australia. The Lovepunks, the futuristic fictional cast of characters in this illustrated sketchbook, were born out of the The Yijala Yala Project. The Project’s intergenerational programming has empowered young artists to share their cultural heritage through workshops and collaborations within their community. Since their inception in 2011, The Lovepunks have been depicted through films and music videos, in the form of a comic series, and even a video game. This fantastical crew, which act as stand-ins for and were designed by these local kids, merge sci-fi storytelling with Aboriginal histories.
Gwen Diehn’s Volume 15 sketchbook, “2019 Daytimer,” is the beautiful product of a year of disciplined, weekly painting and illustration. Set within a frame of the now-empty paints she used to complete her book, Diehn documented her observations from each week of 2019 by painting over, through, and around her appointment book. This book is a visual presentation of sketchbook-as-catalog, putting to paper her inner thoughts and the changes throughout a year of her life. Diehn has previously worked on a project of 10,000 sketches over the course of 4 years and she has published several books on bookmaking and crafting for artists of all ages. Her work has been exhibited at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. and she continues to work as an arts educator. You can see more of Diehn’s ongoing work on her website, Real Life Journals.
Nani Puspasari’s 2012 sketchbook, “Time Traveler,” is an eclectic collection of whimsical, neon illustrations. Pusapari’s protagonist undergoes magical transformations, bordering on the witchy and surreal. Bursts of color punctuate Pusapari’s minimalist style and one can’t help but be reminded of childhood fairytales. Living and working in Melbourne, Australia, Pusapari has worked on projects ranging from murals and ceramics to editorial illustrations and brand design. In 2020, she completed an inaugural residency at Dight Creative Studios and participated in the 15th International Arts Festival & Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, among many other exhibitions. You can support her work by checking out her shop, her local arts blog, or her Youtube channel.
A traveler and photographer, Dottie Cichon gives us a look inside her process in her 2012 sketchbook. Each page is an experiment in spatial image-making. Cichon transforms her photographs of interior spaces. Architectural details like staircases, baroque accents, contemporary balconies are mirrored and refracted until they become abstracted, multiplied patterns. One can’t help but feel a sense of alienation, yet a strong attraction to the beauty of the design details still recognizable. Cichon’s practice remains concerned with alterations to perspective and reality, and humanity’s relationship to and presence in built and natural environments. Cichon’s imagery has manifested not only on the page, but through wearable, silk panel pieces and she continues to experiment with fiber art, video, and print-making. Cichon’s work has been exhibited in the United States, Finland, and Spain, and, as a recipient of UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund, viewers have been able to interact with Cichon’s unique work through her decorated utility boxes.
Emily Wilson’s sketchbook, “Thread and Surface,” came about as “an important kick starter in my creative life after a very long visual gap.” Her book became a way to spark creativity and a site for preliminary research for her thread-based work. Wilson alternates between presenting the gorgeous malleability of fiber through embroidery, musings about the material, and collages of scrap paper and cut-up photographs. It’s a book rich with layers of color and texture, which culminate into an interactive look inside the artist’s mind.