I’ve made a few small plein air paintings lately and found that part of the experience was navigating a somewhat overwhelming amount of new sensory material: my time painting at the wharf involved the scents of ocean debris decay and boat fuel, the discomfort of sitting on the side of the dock, stage fright, & the sounds of gulls and pigeons. It’s all part of this little 2”x3” painting.
This experience inspired this month’s art activity: some prompts to help encapsulate memories within a sketch. I once worked with someone who would wear a new perfume each time they travelled, so that the scent connected them vividly to their travel memories later on. Scent is very powerful in providing that direct connection to a past event, but I think visual and verbal cues can be fun too, if more subtle (but feel free to introduce scent to these prompts; that could be really interesting.)
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