Burning Man

Guest post by Rhoda Draws from the Nevada desert

Now that the dust has settled (literally!) I’m ready to post some of the sketches I created during my trip to Burning Man. Burning Man is an annual event occurring for one week at the end of summer in a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. As an experiment in community and art, it has grown to include over sixty thousand people, who agree to principles such as radical self-expression. The culmination of the event is the symbolic, ritual burning of a gigantic wooden effigy The Man.

What a trip it was! As an Urban Sketcher, I was astounded by the array of choices: people in fantastic costumes, stationary art installations and a breathtaking variety of Mutant Vehicles (aka Art Cars), like the Jellyfish Car.

In what Burners refer to as “The Default World” I sneakily sketch people, hoping they won’t notice what I’m doing. I enjoy the challenge of stealth sketching, and I began working that way at Burning Man. After a day or two I discovered that people were happy to allow me to draw them, and many of them were delighted with the results. Sketching turned out to be an excellent way to connect with people, who are already predisposed to being open to giving and receiving.

It took me a while to work up the courage to attempt a sketch of Claude the Dragon, a 22-foot long creature assembled by Gabe Zanotto entirely of scrap metal. I used my controlled scribbling technique to capture this gigantic, impressive sculpture.

Sketching a Mutant Vehicle, such as the Jellyfish Car or the famous mechanical Octopus (El Pulpo Mechanico) often led to a quick connection with the creator, even an invitation to hop on for a ride around the playa!

Rhoda Draws is a caricature artist and live event painter who lives and draws in the San Francisco area. You can see more of her sketches here on her blog.