Jo Blaker Studio Visit

Jo Baker is an artist and illustrator who has a wide range of experimental sketchbook work. The work explores colour and form in a relaxed and open style. They often show fast progression and are a documentation of a passion for life. She now works in galleries and teaches children about creativity. Some of her advice:

• Don't define your practice by a label.
• Can use past work to come together in a current composition. 
• Shouldn't overthink ideas without working them through, visually exploring can create far more varied work. 
• If stuck trying it with a new material can really help, its all about playing with the work.
• Nature writing is one of her biggest inspirations, especially books like Wildwood by Rodger Durkin which show a human connection with nature.
• Don't need to have a narrative and a pace in a sketchbook they are purely to generate ideas.

I need to make sure in future I can be free with my sketchbook work, and explore things thoroughly. I may even experiment with doing a sketch a day.

I liked these pieces of work as they show whimsy and honesty, some of them capture moments almost like a story would.