I write a blog post at this time each year looking back at what I have done during the previous year with my art. I have found this is a very useful way of realising how much I have accomplished in a year, as I usually forget about some events or do not realise how productive I have been. It is a good reality check for me.
Below are my art projects and commercial activities in 2023. (they pay for my pencils) This year once again was a little different. Classes began slowly again and there were more special projects.
Sketchbooks
Below is a photograph of my sketchbooks from this year. There are ten 12cm x 19 cm Moleskine watercolor pencil sketchbooks. Some are in landscape format and some are portrait. I sketch every day and carry my sketchkit which includes watercolour pencils and sketchbook with me everywhere.
The numbers on the spine are the sketchbook numbers since I began my daily sketches in these Moleskine sketchbooks in December 2008. Can you tell that I am a librarian?
.I scan every page of my sketchbook and put them all on Flickr (an image-sharing website). I add tags and group them into Albums of events Holidays or Projects.
I put sketches daily on Instagram and some on Facebook. but these are social media sites, not searchable repositories. I use Flickr for example to locate sketches I have done of coffee if I am giving a class on food and drink. However, I have sketches from the holidays that still need to be uploaded, A holiday project…
Some go onto Facebook at Alissa Duke Art. I post daily on Instagram alissaduke1
- 2,942 posts (since beginning)
- 1,986 followers
Weekly Art Blog
I have maintained this, my weekly art blog. Thank you to the 209 followers of this weekly art blog. I hope that you find it enjoyable and interesting to read and full of information. Sometimes I write about hints and tips when using watercolour pencils, other times the blog will be about art events I am involved in and the rest are usually my sketches from the previous week. I hope that I can share a bit of my passion for drawing and watercolour pencils.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like me to explain anything I do. If you would like to receive a weekly email you can Subscribe here.
Newsletter
I sent three newsletters this year to the 153 people who subscribe to my newsletter, in February, July and September. The newsletter is for people who are interested in my art and would like to know when major events happen – new card designs, markets, exhibitions, and classes. They may not necessarily be interested in my Weekly Art blog, but still want to be updated.
Melbourne Rare Book Week
I sketched at Melbourne Rare Book Week (MRBW) when I first moved to Melbourne in 2015 and since 2016 I have been the official sketcher on location for the week of talks, culminating in the Melbourne Rare Book Fair on the final weekend. I have met so many interesting people and made lots of friends through this event.
Melbourne Rare Book Week days 1-3
Melbourne Rare Book Week days 4-7
You Can’t Draw in Books? by ME – I gave a one-hour talk about the books at MRBW – the books that no one wants. I draw on the pages of books that are about to be discarded. I had a good audience of 44 people and it went well. This was a talk where people could come up and handle the books and ask questions. They are for sale on my ETSY online store.
I also had a display at my local Library and gave TWO radio interviews !!!!! They were only ten minutes each and I think they went well. One was on Community Radio 3MRD with Jules Vine in her “Classically Saturday” show and the next was with ABC Victoria with David Astle. I have learnt that he has a wide audience and is famous for crosswords. Tim Finn was on his show later that night !!
Auckland Urban Sketching Symposium
I attended the Annual Urban Sketchers Symposium in Auckland, New Zealand in April. It is three days of Workshops with 600 attendees. I stayed for 10 days holiday and sketched all the way.
Watercolour pencil classes
I started to run my “Travel Sketching with Watercolour Pencil” classes. I had 12 classes at East Melbourne Library. They are a two-hour class and involve a local walk to sketch. The people attending have the option of purchasing a sketchkit.
Other classes were at Dromkeen homestead, outside of Melbourne. At Dromkeen I also Offered a Nature Sketching and two High tea Sketching
Clunes Booktown Festival
A highlight. I feel like this was made for me. A whole weekend of books at Clunes Booktown Festival. Read about my time there here.
I was there last year and hope to be there next.
and an extra from Clunes. Two of my “drawn in” books were purchased by Libraries Tasmania for their Book Art collection and have been catalogued with my name in the catalogue field notes
Victorian History Showcase
I was invited to be the official sketcher on location at the Prahran Mechanics Institute (PMI) Victorian History Showcase in Melbourne. This was an all-day event. I sketched the various local history groups at their table and visitors chatting to them.
Blarney Books and Art Biblio Prize
I enter each year, not to win, but to be involved and support Jo at Blarney
Books and Art, which is in Port Fairy, a few hours from Melbourne, This is the
14th year, You pay the entry fee and receive a random book title of a recently published Australian book. You then creatively interpret the book in any format.
People knit, make installation art, weave or paint. Of course, I draw in my book. My book was The Sitter by Angela O’Keeffe. My book was chosen to go on display at Blarney until the end of February 2024.
http://alissaduke.com/2023/10/blarney-books-and-art-biblio-prize-2.html
Commissions
In 2023 I was approached and completed four private commissions. They were all of the buildings. I had to look at my invoices to remind me of this. It has been such a long year. I also declined a few commissions that I was approached to do as they were all outside of the scope of what I do. However, it was lovely to have been considered and asked.
Exhibitions
It was exciting to have my “You Can’t Draw in Books” exhibition at Dromkeen over September and October and give a presentation
I had a similar display and talk as part of Melbourne Rare Book Week at East Melbourne Library. I even gave
I have been told that there was a lot of interest in both the local communities and visitors.
ETSY online sales
I have a variety of greeting cards printed from my watercolour pencil drawings on my ETSY online store. I also have my “drawn-in books” available for purchase there.
Local Markets
I was happy to have a market stall with my cards and books at two local Christmas events. It was so lovely to catch up with local friends and meet some more!
… and looking forward
I have plans.
I have two local Artist in Residency commissions, Melbourne Rare Book Week, watercolour pencil sketching classes will begin again, hopefully a stall at Clunes Booktown Festival and a long planned holiday (was supposed to be in 2020) in the UK.
I hope that you have had a creative year and continue into 2024. Thank you for your support and questions.