Raquel Miller
A sketchbook as record, as vessel, as extension of brain, heart, hand, self. A sketchbook as friend. Sketchbook as diary, as devotion. A sketchbook as lens, as window, as mirror. A sketchbook as honesty. A sketchbook to soothe fear, to dream, to indulge, to wonder, to scream, to fantasize, to idealize, to hold. A sketchbook to hold, in messy palms, against paint-dashed fingertips; to carry against our chest, in back pockets, in tote bags and backpacks; to be coffee stained, wrinkled, torn, dented, and bent, wetted by rain or condensation from our drink. A sketchbook as protection. A sketchbook to be forgotten and, one day, opened again.

Raquel P Miller, Feb 25th 2024, graphite and acrylic in Royal Talens sketchbook, 16 x 11.5 in., 2024.

Raquel P Miller, Hand Outline and Cemetery Sketch, Graphite and acrylic in Royal Talens sketchbook, 16 x 11.5 in., 2024.
Judy Labrasca
I try to always have a small sketchbook with me when I travel so that I can make drawings and notes when I have a few minutes not otherwise engaged. The drawings that are the most fun to look at later are the ones done when I only had a minute or two (sometimes only a few seconds) to capture impressions of things I’d like to remember.

Judy LaBrasca, Leaving Portland: On the Ferry to Peaks Island, Facing the Portland Skyline, micron pen and watercolor.
Sebastian Masters
Bruce Bulger

Bruce Bulger, Traveler’s Mountain, looking towards Baxter, watercolor, 8.25 x 23 in., 2019 (photo: A. Ziner).
Image at top: Raquel P Miller, Human Beings Imprinted on the Sky, Posca marker and watercolor in Royal Talens sketchbook, 16 x 11.5 in., 2024.