Sketches from the Poznan symposium

If you read my previous post, you know I had some trouble sketching in Berlin. Happily, that changed once I arrived in Poznan, Poland, for the Urban Sketchers Symposium.

If you follow the social media accounts of other sketchers who were there (and there were hundreds, both registered for the event or just there to sketch with friends) you would have seen a multitude of sketches from Stary Rynek, the Old Market Square in Poznan. The centrepiece of the square is the Renaissance town hall, but the square is lined with colourfully restored ornate buildings, restaurants, huge umbrellas, and crowded with people at almost any time of day or night.

For my first sketch I chose the fisherman’s houses — narrow buildings decorated with geometric designs and elaborate medallions. I sketched quite early in the day before the crowds arrive, but by noon this part of the square filled up with hundreds of people with necks craned and cameras pointed at the town hall, waiting for the two goats that come out from the tower twice a day to butt heads. Goats are a theme in Poznan. I wish I had added a few to my sketchbook pages, but there wasn’t much time left after teaching.

For my workshop location, I chose the quieter side of the square where I found some shade, a few benches, a water spout and a respite from the crowds. From there, we faced one of the most beautiful facades on the square — the 18th century eagle-topped Działyński Palace, which escaped damage during World War II.

On one afternoon I had a bit of time to sketch on my own before the event started. I found a shady corner to paint the late day crowds on the square.

It’s hard to summarize what it’s like to attend an Urban Sketcher’s symposium. In between teaching, reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people, attending lectures, taking workshops, touring booths at the art market and running between various locations, there’s barely time to breathe. But it’s also the most inspiring and exciting sketching event I have ever attended, and that is true for all 8 I have been to. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe the talent and skill level of sketchers who attend the event or who come on their own as independent sketchers.

Organizing a USk symposium is a gargantuan task, and I send out a huge thank you to the many, many local volunteers who organized all the events, proudly showed us around the city, led us to our locations, stood by while we taught, distributed supplies and fended off curious bystanders. A big thank you also goes out to all of the event sponsors and especially my workshop sponsor — Winsor & Newton — who generously supplied pencils, paper and many tubes of paint!

As always, it takes a long time to come down from the high of an event like this. It was the same way I felt after my first symposium in 2012 and after every one I’ve attended since. I have a drawer full of new supplies to try, a stack of new books to read, a head full of ideas, and many months of winter ahead of me in my studio to practice what I’ve learned in Poznan. If you were one of the lucky people who was there too, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.