Maureen uses a sketchbook to “scribble out the budding of an idea,” to see where it goes. It’s a place to test out new materials, and record working methods.
Between 2001-2004, Maureen and her husband John made several lengthy road trips, to the Yukon, Alaska, and Jasper. While travelling, John drove and Maureen filled her sketchbook.
“Your mood and the landscape suggest the materials that you want to use,” says Maureen.
There’s a simplicity to the pure lines: “You just put down the marks because you’re there.”
To Maureen, inspiration is everywhere. Instead of being categorized as, say, a flower painter or a figure painter, to her you can just like the shapes or like being outdoors, and can get back into your art again.
“Sometimes you hit a corner where you’re not sure how to proceed,” says Maureen. For her, going back to the basics is a way to help get around that corner. She will give herself an exercise, a schedule. For example, you could go outside every day at 10am and sketch for an hour. After a few weeks, assess what you’ve done and go back.
The long road trips and expansive summer days on the trail gave Maureen a bit of that kind of routine. She couldn’t be too precious about it, and as she says, “You have to capture the essence of the view, because John will not stop.”
As for materials, paints are too sloppy, and books can’t be too big—not unlike being on the boat. “And you can’t watch your paper, hardly.”
These sketches are not reworked: laying down the energy of the moment is a part of the exercise. Here are some samples.
