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Isabella Mitchell on lockdown and escape

3/21/2021

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Reflections on lockdown, drawing and travelling by Isabella Mitchell. 
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Up until April 2020, my practice was firmly rooted in drawing from life. I would take a sketchbook wherever I went, and draw what I could see, be that in a gallery or a park, sitting on a train, or in a pub or cafe. Needless to say, Covid-19 put an end to that; with my IRL subject matter reduced to the confines of my flat (and, thankfully, shared garden).
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This shifted my focus back to my studio practice, which in my former fast-paced life, I had cheerfully neglected. Within the confines of four walls, I seized the opportunity to find and expand my horizons. From trying out new materials, to playing and experimenting with mediums I knew well. I took the blank pages of my calendar, and used them to create, learn and escape. I realised the value in drawing the same image multiple times, and using a new methodology or technique with each repetition. I witnessed what happened when I spent half a day on drawing, as opposed to half an hour, and learnt to relish working in a controlled environment, where I set the rules, and need never worry about rain or forgetting my pencil sharpener.
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Now, in Spring 2021, and the easing of lockdown measures is in sight, it feels important to reflect back, and focus on the glimmers of hope which have come out of a deeply difficult year. A year in lockdown has given me the chance to make work I’m excited by, in ways I hadn’t before. It has opened my eyes, and filled me with ideas and inspiration which seem pivotal to my practice, and motivate me through my desire to take them further. In other words, I went on an ‘unofficial Drawing Escape’ without leaving my home, and I feel more confident for it.

So if 2020 was the year I seized the power of the studio, I hope that the next year is no different, except with an added “official” Drawing Escape, less collective isolation, more exploring new places, and invaluable time spent sketching in the sun.

​Isabella Mitchell March 2021

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  • Destinations
    • Bali
    • Istanbul
    • Krakow
    • Spain
    • Secret Destination
    • customised drawing trips
    • social drawing days
  • about
  • Video
    • drawing in Spain video
    • drawing in Gdansk video
    • drawing in Thailand video
    • drawing in Bali videos
    • secret destination videos
    • drawing social videos
  • drawings
    • Spain drawings
    • Poland drawings
    • Thailand Drawings
    • Bali drawings
    • Life-drawings
    • Secret trip drawings
  • reviews
  • Blog
  • Calendar
  • booking
  • Classroom
    • lessons in line
    • taxonomy project
    • mark-making part 1
    • mark-making part 2
    • repeat pattern
    • repeat pattern using photoshop
    • drawing for graphic design