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Have you ever looked at a scene and thought what a wonderful painting that would be? You snap a photo for reference and when you review it later you think, “Huh?  Why did I like this?”

I have had this happen many times when I relied solely on a photograph for a reference.  I have never had this happen when I work from a sketch. What is the difference? The camera does not see the world as you do.  It lumps all the middle values into light or dark, which results in the loss of subtle shifts of color. However, sketching enables the artist to slow down and dissect what has inspired the painting in the first place. This time invested becomes an archive of information in your visual memory and helps you recreate the feeling of inspiration in the studio.

What defines a sketch?  Sketches come in many forms, from a quick pencil study to a rich color study to capture the light.

• Sketches are usually completed in one session.

• They are used to capture gesture, large value shapes and color notes.

• The time constraint forces the elimination of unnecessary details.

In my sketchbooks I usually write notes about what is happening.  These help jog my memory to fill out the experience.

In the studio I can use the sketches as a platform to build more finished work. The sketches in conjunction with photographs make an ideal foundation of reference.  Photos supply information about shapes and details that a sketch may not capture. When I am working in the studio I will keep the photo reference on my studio monitor and my sketch where I can see it.

Here are a couple of recent studio paintings inspired by sketches.

In January I went to a life drawing session where we worked from a model in a flapper outfit.  I was working in watercolor and knew that in the time allotted I would not be able to capture the shine and shimmy of the outfit. I focused on the gesture and attitude of the model instead. That evening I used the sketch and the photos to create this larger work in pastel. In the studio I had all the time to play and create a work that was more than the information supplied by the reference materials.

The sketch and the final painting of  "All That Jazz."

After my 2016 workshop in Florence, Italy, we traveled with some friends to the Dolomites in the northern region of the country.  We stayed in the town of Alleghe, which is a ski resort that sits on a lake surrounded by forests of hemlock and birch. I spent one morning sketching along the lake shore as bees took interest in my paints - landing on the page while I worked.  When it began to rain I ended the session but have always wanted to return to that scene. This is a watercolor I just recently finished in the dry, insect-free zone of my studio. I will want to paint this scene again someday. The sketch and photo references will allow me to interpret this scene in many different ways.