Photo by Matthew Septimus
-How did you get the Sketchbook ?
The truth is, the Sketchbook was in and out of my hands at least three times as it circled the globe before I could commit to putting anything in it. The final hand-off was probably one of the most unusual: Greg Couch secreted the sacred tome in a locked file cabinet at Blue Sky and hid the key in the shavings compartment of his pencil sharpener. You must understand, that with every new addition, this book becomes hotter and hotter (see photo in previous posts) and no one wants to keep it for too long.
-What do you think about this collective project ?
Like many great ideas, this one is based on such a simple and elegant premise. Start a sketchbook and hand it off. The proof of it's genius is in the book itself and I look forward to it's final unveiling.
-Who did you give you the sketchbook and to whom did you give it then ?
As I said, the formidable, Msr. Greg Couch. And let me tell you, when I saw his masterpiece, I put my head in my hands. There was really no good way to follow that act.When I was finished, Natalie Ascencios came to my studio to pick up the book. At first she was very hesitant, but soon warmed to the idea.
-What technique did you use ?
The usual for me: pencil, ink and watercolor.
-Did you have already an idea of what you would draw in it ?
I had no idea up until the day it arrived. I knew that I would just have to sit in front of it and see what happened. I will say that in the end, it came down to whether I would do a drawing that was fun and conceptually relevant to the project or whether I would do a general image and show off what I could about my drawing chops. In the end, I went with the former. I think the final image captures pretty well my ambivalence and let's be honest, terror about committing an image to paper.
-Who (in the contributors) would you like to work with in the future ?
Actually, I'm delighted to say that because of my involvement with Blue Sky Studios, I've already worked with many of the artists included in the book. Knapp, Nguyen, Dunnigan and of course, Couch, to name only a few. Another great benefit of the book for me was to be introduced to so many new artists from around the world. It's an education.
-What are your news (signatures, upcoming books, movie or else) ?
Thanks, it's kind of you to let me shamelessly promote myself. I have two new books coming out this fall. One is called , "The Duchess of Whimsy" and it's a lovely children's book written by my wife, Randall de Seve
. The other is hardcover collection of my work called, "A Sketchy Past, The Art of Peter de Seve" which will be published by Akileos Editions and Galerie Arludik of France. I will also have a one man show at Arludik on Isle St. Louis this October 15th and hope to meet many of my Sketchtravel compatriots there!
