Sketchy Tree Series Part 3
Are you someone that takes photos of random things that catch your eye? In celebration of my Sketchy Tree ink series making its debut into the world, I’m sharing a little bit more about some of my favorite drawings from the series this month. (If you missed last week’s, you can check it out here.)
While most of my Sketchy Tree series is based on photos that I took during my 50 New York Waterfalls Project, the drawing I’m featuring today is the exception – it was inspired by a walk in our local cemetery.
Stay Grounded
One of my favorite drawings from this series is “Stay Grounded.” I find interesting things to take pictures of everywhere I go. One of my favorite places to walk was through Woodlawn Cemetery. At the time it was very close and I would often take a walk visiting Sam Clemens and an old neighbor who both resided there along the way. There’s all sorts of interesting old trees and various little things that always caught my eye (so I have tons of photos).
While “Stay Grounded” is the only drawing from this location, I did just find a couple more pictures that might be fun to draw too.
“Stay Grounded” was created with ink pens. I started with basic outlines and slowly added multiple layers of shading and texture in a loose intuitive way. At the end I added highlights of white and silver to make certain features pop.
Solo Exhibition at Vines of New York
Visit Vines of New York in Geneva, NY to see these drawings and more in person through the month of July (2022)! Vines of New York is located at 772 S Main Street in Geneva which is right along Seneca Lake on Route 14. The gallery is full of beautiful work inspired by nature and/or made from natural materials (and makes wonderful gifts).
Gallery hours are 10am to 4pm Thursday though Sunday (or by appointment). Here is their website for more information. They also have an online shop that has a couple of my pieces as well as work by other artists from throughout the gallery. If you stop by make sure to sign my guestbook and let me know what you thought!
About the Artist
Laura Jaen Smith is an artist who lives and works out of Horseheads, New York. Her inspiration comes from observing the beauty she sees around her. After a decade living out west, she returned back to New York State and started seeing the same old places with new eyes. She is most interested in capturing small moments in nature that might otherwise be overlooked.
