Artist Carl Lavia at work on an Edinburgh cityscape

Category

Library Item

Item no

43548

Title

Artist Carl Lavia at work on a large-scale Edinburgh cityscape sketch

Description

Find out more about the '69 Cities' project partnership from www.sketchnthecity.com

Artist / maker

Sketchnthecity

Date

2017

Size

1m x 2m

Type

Digital image; Pen work

"Drawing is taking a line for a walk" - Paul Klee

Carl Lavia and Lorna Le Bredonchel are on a country-wide 'walk' - the self-taught, self-funded cityscape artist known simply as 'Sketch' and project partner Photographer Lorna Le Bredonchel completed city number 3, Edinburgh in September 2017. The Edinburgh cityscape is part of a much larger project, the aim; to sketch and exhibit all 69 cities of the UK.

The first was a 2m x 1m ink sketch of the city of Birmingham. Alex Nicholson-Evans, Commercial Director at Birmingham Museums Trust said: "Carl's sketch of the city is breath-taking and we are delighted to be able to show the people of Birmingham his fantastic work at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery."

The 2nd cityscape was a 2m x 1.5m large-scale ink sketch of the city of Manchester. Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City council's executive member for culture and leisure said: "This incredible work of art will enthrall visitors to Central Library, whether they are Mancunian born and bred or from further afield. We are proud to be able to work with gifted artists like Sketch."

Edinburgh, the 3rd immense cityscape, measures 2m x 1m and has been completed using a mix of technical and BIC pens on archival paper - mounted onto Dibond. The sketch depicts an area of Edinburgh covering a radius of around 6 miles - as far north as Stockbridge, as far south as The Meadows, as far east as Holyrood Palace and as far west as Murrayfield stadium.

Ian Perry, City of Edinburgh Council's Education, Children, and Family Convenor said: "We're delighted to be able to host Carl's wonderful piece of work here in Central Library - it truly is a sight to behold and I'm sure it will mesmerize many library-users during its time here. "As one of the cut's prominent historical buildings, the Central Library itself features in the sketch, alongside the fantastic variety of architecture and attractions that span Edinburgh, and this piece provides a great new perspective."

Self-taught and obsessed with cityscapes, Carl has been sketching since he was a kid - he says: "it was a way to sculpt reality, I'd literally sketch my own little world". Sketch's preferred materials are always a mix of technical pens and the ubiquitous BIC pen on archival paper. He chooses to depict an aerial view of the city allowing for a powerful, all-encompassing, immersive perspective. He captures all the familiar landmarks and magnifies the character of each place in an intricate, fluid style.

Carl says: "Each artwork is a celebration for the people who live, work and simply love the city"

The entire '69 cities' project is likely to take around 6 years and once complete, Carl and Lorna hope to show all the UK cityscapes together as one large exhibition showing in various spaces throughout the country.

Project partner photographer Lorna Le Bredonchel says: "We hope that the each cityscape shall be seen as an affectionate document of the city's present time in history, hints at the indelible ties connecting people to places, a 'sketched page' in each city's incredible and continually unfolding story."

You can follow Sketch and Lorna as they make their way around the UK via their social media.

To purchase prints and posters of all the cityscapes - visit www.sketchnthecity.com

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