Reflection

Sketchbook is often used as a journal and most artists here do consider their books as intimate journals. Most of us were taught to draw and write in our journals when we were little kids. But at some point we no longer draw but only write. And then at another point most of us just stop journaling altogether.
These artists demonstrate in their lives that there is nothing so childish about keeping a picture diary. It’s really for all ages. At any stage in life, there needs to be reflection and “knowing yourself.” And that “knowing the self” often comes from expressing the self.
It is widely accepted that words are not enough to describe the happenings in life and in the mind, and that is most certainly so for these artists. They will scrawl words and sentences to accompany their drawings and collages, but the splashes of paint, dabs of colors, thick and thin lines and rapid shadings capture the essence of what needs to be reflected. These sketchbooks, again, with their continuity, form a full picture of the artist’s identity. It’s their thoughts, their lives, their perspectives translated straight onto the pages. “Illustrated journaling,” says artist Danny Gregory, “has transformed my life and given me the clearest form of identity I’ve ever had.” Going back to a journal from years ago can bring back a memory so distinctly. Like artist Paola Gaviria says, sketchbook journaling is a gesture of putting a private life public. It is the greatest form of autobiography.


Danny Gregory -