Deborah Vass

Drawing in a sketchbook is my first encounter with a place — a way of being with the landscape that precedes painting or printing.

 

My sketchbooks are a vital part of my practice — they are where I first encounter the subjects that later become paintings and prints. They are a way of looking closely at the landscape and the natural world, recording not only what I see but how it feels to be present in a particular place and moment.

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I use them throughout the year, capturing seasonal change, plant forms, hedgerow details and fleeting light. Some pages are quick observational studies made outdoors; others become the seeds of larger works, revisited and developed in the studio.

 

Below are selected pages from my sketchbooks that reveal aspects of this process — studies, experiments and moments of seeing that help shape the finished paintings and prints.

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​You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter for regular updates and insights in to my sketchbook pages, or you can join my fortnightly Substack newsletter.

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