To live in this world you must be able to do three things

#282: open for a poem.

Dear reader,

“Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars

Spotted, in the park.

of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,

A study in sepia ink.

the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders

of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is

Active baby, sleep-deprived parents.

nameless, now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned

in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side

Liquid acrylic for a ruby red.

is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.”

~ “In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver.

This painting will be available to buy soon. Get in touch if interested.

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🖼️ Open Studio

Open Studio Day this month is on Friday 23 May, 5 - 7:30pm. I am doing these events more regularly this year, because it is a great opportunity to meet people interested in my work, and maintain contact with clients and collectors. Plus, I love the chance to talk about new art supplies and projects.

I will be showing many new paintings, new sketchbooks, and demo-ing several new art materials. Come to flip through sketchbooks, chat about anything at all, or buy art.

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✍🏼 In-Person Workshop at OPUS Coquitlam

I am leading an outdoor sketching adventure at OPUS Art Supplies in Coquitlam next month. I will share pages from my sketchbooks, discuss my techniques, and demo my art style. Tap for more info.

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📚 I made a book!

“What if, whenever you had a free moment, you reached for a tiny sketchbook instead of your phone?”

This is the motivating purpose behind my upcoming book - Make (Sneaky) Art - releasing this September. I believe everyone should have a sketchbook, especially in these distracted times, because a drawing habit is about more than just drawing. Drawing is an important way to reclaim your attention span from the devices and algorithms that manipulate us, and immerse yourself in your physical environment, your community, your irl world.

This book contains all my best ideas, tips, tricks, and techniques. Preorder it now using the link below. Paperback now available in Canada!

Should I do a book signing event in your city? Tell me in the comments, let’s make plans!

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💻 Learn to Draw Tiny People with me

This year, I am not doing any Tiny People workshops. Instead, I have poured hours and hours into designing this exhaustive course. Here’s why:

❤️ Learn at your own pace. Instead of sitting continuously for two hours at a specific time on a specific day, participants can pace themselves according to their convenience.

❤️ Go out with me. In a Zoom session, I am bound to my desk too. But for this course, I was able to record outdoors as well. Being able to share exactly how I sketch at all kinds of busy locations, I am finally able to teach the way I want.

❤️ Join the community. We have a wholesome and enthusiastic private community of participants that regularly shares drawings, ideas, experiences, and obstacles. Last week, we completed out first 7-day challenge!

If you are curious to learn how I draw, and want to build a sketchbook habit out of people-watching, simply join the waitlist. There is no commitment, but joining the waitlist gets you more information over the next few weeks and locks in the special waitlist discount.

In Case You Missed It…

📚 This Friday, I begin this year’s first Special Project - making my own sketchbooks!

🤮 There is a War on Human Creativity and we are in the thick of it now.

🎯 5 Rules for making SneakyArt of your world

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The SneakyArt Post is a newsletter of secretly drawn art of the world. Every week, I share the latest pages from my sketchbook and the best ideas from my journey as an artist and writer.

Thank you for reading.