Sketch of the Week

This week's sketch is an idea for a multi-block linocut I've been contemplating.

I used colored pencils and a ballpoint pen for this one, nothing fancy. It's an abstracted, simplified number inspired by a photograph I tool at Shelburne Farms last winter:

Typically I don't sketch from photographs because it feels derivative to me, but I make an exception with winter scenes. I get too cold to work outside during this time of the year (not to mention the fact that the ink in my pens end up freezing), but I still find it beautiful. So I relent and let the camera work for me.

I was thinking about using this scene for a holiday card, but decided that I didn't have enough time this year to make it work. Perhaps next year...