I spent an embarrassing amount of hours trying to find a name for this thing that wasn’t “Louise Gouet’s Newsletter”, before I finally found something that felt right. I didn’t foresee how grounding a name could be, but it feels like the whole point of why I started drawing condensed into three words. A mission statement of sorts: out for the thrill of really looking, learning, for perceiving the world in new ways. And simultaneously a reminder to go outside with my sketchbook in order to see more things!
The nautical wordplay also gives a nod to a feeling which I often have when I paint, one which is something like being alone in the middle of the sea. There are no correct answers when it comes to painting; there is no set course, no map. You are only answerable to yourself. When you feel this to be the case, it is at once terrifying and exhilarating. It is loneliness and it is boundless freedom.
I read Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet recently and I was struck by these lines:
“Go into yourself. […] Keep growing, silently and earnestly, through your whole development; you couldn’t disturb it any more violently than by looking outside and waiting for outside answers to questions that only your innermost feeling, in your quietest hour, can perhaps answer.”
In the interest of “going into myself”, I spent most of last month just doing personal work. I wanted to take some time to enjoy the materials and the act of drawing without serving a concept. This has taken the form of life drawing, self portraits, observational drawing in my sketchbook and studies from a battered old travel book, translating its black and white photos into colour. No expectations, just exploring.
I have been getting very into soft pastels. They require a bit more planning to use with gouache, since they are not water soluble, but their soft, dry texture and their directness make them delightful to work with. I have been wanting to capture something more atmospheric in my work and the pastels are perfect for that.
And I have had the urge to learn new skills. Hence, I have been messing around with a DSLR camera which I have “borrowed” (indefinitely) from my parents-in-law. Here are some self portraits I have taken with it.
I have made some mockups, too:
Spring is coming, my favourite season, and I am so excited! The bulbs I planted in the depths of winter are already starting to shoot up. I’m planning lots of woodland walks, lots of gardening, a trip to England and, of course, lots of drawing.
Ok, that’s all from me. Till next time,
PS. I never know how to end these posts, so I looked up “newsletter sign off ideas”. They were so terrible. I should have known better than to look for outside answers to questions that only my innermost feeling, in my quietest hour, could perhaps answer. ;)
Great name for blog!!!
A great new name! Your newsletter is truly one of my faves.