Jennifer Orkin Lewis (August Wren) -- a Sketchbook Conversation

Today's Sketchbook Conversation is with Jennifer Orkin Lewis. You might know her from the feed August Wren on Instagram where she shares her daily sketchbooks. At least one of my previous Sketchbook Conversations artists has mentioned Jennifer as an inspiration for her own work and I think it's clear to see why. 

I'll let Jennifer take it from here:

I'm an illustrator and painter and a RISD grad in textile design. I live in a pretty little village just a bit north of NYC on the Hudson River. For many years I was a stylist in the textile industry.

Keeping a sketchbook for me keeps me fresh, it gives me the chance to experiment with ideas, color combinations, compositions and techniques. If I didn’t have a daily sketchbook practice that I am committed to I’m afraid I would rarely do anything new. 

It has become a chance to play everyday for even a short amount of time. It has become a kind of diary for me, I can look back and remember things that were happening at the time, I record my travels and my every day life and imagination.

I have tried keeping a sketchbook for 25 years but I never managed to complete any. I started this daily practice in January 2014 and have filled it every day since then, I have about 20 full sketchbooks now.

I find my inspiration everywhere. Taking a walk, seeing spring flowers blooming, a crowd of people, a color combination. I try to open my eyes and see what is happening around me and use that as inspiration for my paintings. 

Its the little everyday things I come across that show up in my paintings. That said it isn’t always easy. Some days I’m just not in the mood, I’m busy or I don’t feel well. 

I do make myself start, just the act of picking up a brush gets me going. I don’t love every piece I make but as a large body of work it becomes something else.

I love painting with gouache the most. It’s something I learned to do very well when I began as a textile designer after college so it feels very comfortable to me. I also use watercolor fairly regularly.

My advice if you're just starting out is be yourself. Practice everyday or as much as you can, it can take years to develop your style, make marks, use colors and paint subject matter that excites you, your style will emerge from that over time. 

If you look at others work for inspiration close it down when you’re doing your own work so it is really yours and not a copy. Don’t worry about the final outcome during your creative playtime. That's where you discover the most about yourself.

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your sketchbooks with us today! 

Dear readers, you can connect with Jennifer:

http://augustwren.com/

https://www.instagram.com/augustwren/

https://www.facebook.com/Augustwren/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/augustwren

Missed the other Sketchbook Conversations posts? It's easy to catch up at the series web page.

And for even more inspiration, check out my Artist Interviews. 

*Photos in this post ©Jennifer Orkin Lewis. Used with permission.