All Can and Should Draw and Paint

Sketchbook Work

Over the years I have lost count of the people who have said to me, on finding out that I am an artist, how much they loved drawing and painting at school, or how they had enjoyed drawing or painting as children. I would then ask if they still drew or painted. Invariably their response would be the same, that they had given all that up on leaving school. I would always ask why, if they loved it so much, had they stopped? They would usually then say, that they were not very good, but that they enjoyed it a lot (this whole issue of what can be classed artistically as ‘good’ could and should be covered in some depth another time I think).

Alas, drawing and painting is seen as the purview of the serious (or even amateur) artist, or children. Rarely do people continue to paint having left school, for the simple pleasure the activity gives them. Most people get sucked into the prosaic though necessary business of making a living, and those that do have some leisure time left to them, usually go to the gym, or seek out a social activity. All those things are good. However, it has been shown again and again, that the simple act of drawing, painting, and making a mark is mentally beneficial, and indeed as we know is used as therapy for people with mental health issues, children and teenagers with special needs,  and in young offenders institutions etc, etc. It is relaxing, therapeutic, cathartic, and fills a basic and fundamental need in us all to express ourselves through colour and form. An exercise which we as human beings have undertaken since man became sentient.

So, if you are considering a gift for a friend or a loved one, think about buying them a small sketch book that can be fitted into a pocket or a bag and some pens  and encourage them to get doodling.

If you are interested in purchasing any original pieces, postcards and prints then please visit my ART SHOP.