Dawn Hunter's Sketchbook: Drawings & Paintings

Dawn Hunter has said the following about the importance of maintaining an observational drawing practice: "Drawing alters visual perception. Drawing from observation isn’t about trying to make a copy. Drawing from direct observation, or drawing from life, is a practice of observing the subject in real life as opposed to using a photograph as a reference. Drawing from life is a completely different experience from drawing a photograph. Within the photograph, the containment of the composition, aesthetics of shape and space, and range of color and values have been resolved. Drawing from observation allows the artist to interact with the world around them and work out the aesthetics of the fundamental design, form, and content for themselves. When you learn how to direct your gaze using diverse patterns of observational looking, you’ll grasp more fully the structure of the visual world and the extent to which this shaping of vision is intrinsic to how you normally see. Learning to draw will teach you how to respond differently to vision, to discover something new and less expected, not only within the visual field but potentially about yourself too, about what seeing is and how visual perception works. And because seeing is thinking, your drawing is also a place where you externalize your thoughts, moving them from the private space of your head and into a social one where others can respond to your reflections."