Cranbrook

A couple of weeks ago I went with Jacob North (a student of mine…) to the Cranbrook institute in Bloomfield Hills Michigan. One could not have asked for a better day. We happened to be there as Cranbrook students were packing up for the summer, and we had the chance to see their studio spaces. Overall the place felt as if we were on the set of “LOST” or the old BBC series “The Prisoner”, and maybe we felt this way because of the Saarinen architecture and sculpture on the grounds. Jacob brought his digital SLR, I brought my sketchbook, and we had a great time documenting the place.

It was enjoyable enough for me to go back the next day to hang out by myself. I decided to take my newly purchased Mac laptop to do some digital plein-air painting using Corel Painter 9. A couple of my friends at Pixar use a laptop while drawing on location, so why not give it a try?  I wanted to challenge myself a bit more than usual, and I figured that if I were to use Painter that I would be forced to learn it, and make decisions. I have figured out a way to use my Jullian easel for my digital set-up, but I don’t think I am going to give up my traditional paints and brushes all together. I just needed to push myself out of my comfort zone.