Picture Postcards…and Sketches
Who doesn’t love a great art. But what about travel art? I googled travel art but most of the results are about the art of travel. Not exactly the same thing.
However, in previous searching of the ‘net I was delighted to come across the paintings of Laura Murphy Frankstone, a fellow travel aficionado and painting genius! Here’s one of her works, representing Iceland. I just love how the sketch tells such a story – with the visual cues and the notes – I feel like I was looking over Laura’s shoulder as she was furious scribbling away in her notepad right there at the dinner table.
Lunch at Fjoruhusid cafe, Hellnar, Iceland
(If you click on the image, it will open up larger for a better view. By the way, I love the fact that she points out the butter there in the corner. I bet it’s salty. Yum!)
Laura has loads of other great sketches, from Gaudi architecture in Barcleona to faces in cafes in Paris. What a nice way to share your experiences, eh?
Laura Murphy Frankstone, longtime painter in oils and acrylics, is a passionate traveler and sketcher. In 2005, she turned back to drawing, her first love, and has filled dozens of sketchbooks, travel-oriented and otherwise, since then. Her work may be seen on her blog, Laurelines: Drawings and Paintings named one of the Eight Best Art Blogs of 2007 at Empty Easel.com. She is also an enthusiastic correspondent for Urban Sketchers and was the only American represented in the 2007 Biennale du Carnet de Voyage, an international juried exhibition held in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Her work appears in ‘1000 Artist Journal Pages,’ edited by Dawn DeVries Sokol, Quarry Books, 2008. She is represented by Somerhill Gallery of Durham, NC. Purchase or other enquiries may be directed to laurelines [AT] mindspring [DOT] com.
What do you think of Laura’s sketches? Tell us in the comments.
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January 24th, 2009 at 3:37 am
When I began traveling many years ago, I kept a sketchbook to keep track of things I wanted to remember. I eventually gave up the sketchbooks when I started blogging. Then, last year, a friend gave me a moleskin, and I started sketching again. I love it. It’s a more private and personal way to remember my travels, and something I like to do just for me. Laura’s notebooks are beautiful, and makes me wish I had never stopped drawing myself!
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January 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I have to admit, I’m not much of a sketching person myself but you’ve got my interest piqued now. Would love to see some of your sketches, Dave2.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Andy, thanks so much for this post! It looks great. Dave2, I have lots of tips about travel sketching—shoot me a line via my blog if you’d like some encouragement and info! Like Andy, I’d love to see soem of your sketches, too. Andy, you SHOULD pick up pen and paper—with your eye and a little practice, you’d be a great travel sketcher! The charm of this kind of work is its immediacy and its lack of finesse.
Laura’s last blog post..Fancy food on a snowy day
January 26th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Laura’s work reminds me a lot of what my father does when he travels. When my parents come back from trips, they don’t show off photos – they show off my dad’s pen-and-ink and watercolour drawings.
I have several of them hanging on my walls. (BTW, I could see Laura’s Iceland drawing as a great kitchen wallpaper!)
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November 26th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
That’s such a beautiful picture, I adore it. (And, as my regular readers will know, I love Iceland dearly.) I really wish I’d learnt how to draw.
November 26th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
What an exceptional skill. I’ve always admired drawers and painters who can sit at a beautiful location and recreate its magic and beauty in their own eyes. And Laura’s work looks stunning capturing her special places and experiences.