Meet the Manchester Symposium Correspondents

[By Tina Koyama] The 7^th International Urban Sketchers Symposium
in Manchester will be the biggest USk symposium yet, with 26 workshops, eight
activities, four demos and 11 lectures scheduled over the course of three days.
Wow – that’s a lot! A team of four sketch correspondents will cover as many
symposium events as possible, sketching furiously by day and blogging by night,
to report on their impressions of this much-anticipated gathering.

This year’s correspondents were selected by the Editorial
Board for their regular participation on the global USk blog or their regional sketch-sharing
site during the past year. In addition, their posts demonstrate that they have
an interest in sketching human activity.

Who are these fearless correspondents? Meet them now!

Kumi Matsukawa, Tokyo,
Japan

Kumi Matsukawa

A global USk blog correspondent since 2009, Kumi also posts
frequently on the USk Japan blog.

“I can be a participant of the symposium, or can be an
instructor if I’m capable to provide good workshop,” Kumi said. “But to be a
symposium correspondent, I think this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,
and this time I thought I should give it a try. As is always the case when
meeting so many artists, I’m looking forward to getting influenced by the
people both local as well as ones from around the world during this event, and
love to absorb something new like a sponge. With the Urban Sketchers community,
you can feel that you are always encouraged by so many people regardless you
are in the city or in the remote spot.” (Kumi’s sketch, made during the 2014 USk Symposium in Paraty, Brazil, is shown at the top of this post.)

More about Kumi.

Javier de Blas, Logroño, Spain

Sketch by Javier de Blas

Javier de Blas

Javier became a global USk correspondent in 2015, when he
began posting a weekly series about his experiences in Sahrawi refugee camps in
Tindouf, Algeria. He also posts regularly on Urban Sketchers Spain’s blog.

“For me it is always exciting to make a fast work that
overcomes your forecasts, when you can’t even think of what you do,” Javier
said. “It is risky but you always get things you didn’t expect (for good or
bad. . . J).”
What is the most exciting thing about urban sketching for Javier? “Sharing experiences
with many different people.”

More about Javier.

Liz Ackerley, Manchester, UK

Sketch by Liz Ackerley

Liz Ackerley

In addition to being part of the correspondents’
team, Liz will play an equally important role as a symposium host city
resident: She’ll be the team’s much-needed local guide. Liz sketches with Urban Sketchers Manchester and has guest-posted on the global USk blog.

“I
am thrilled to have been asked to be a symposium correspondent because it gives
me such an amazing opportunity to capture this great event and its members in
the context of our wonderful city,” Liz said. “The more I sketch
Manchester, the more I love it, and to be able to capture it as reportage of
the annual symposium means that I can combine the place and the people which in
essence is what I love so much about urban sketching. Of course by being a
correspondent I am immediately thrown together with all the urban sketching
friends I have met online and am so looking forward to meeting and welcoming to
Manchester!”

More about Liz.

Tina Koyama, Seattle, USA

Sketch by Tina Koyama

Tina Koyama

An enthusiastic member of Urban Sketchers Seattle since
2012, Tina joined the Editorial Board and became a global correspondent last
year.

“The first USk symposium I attended was in 2013 in
Barcelona,” Tina said. “Although I was dazzled and awed by everything I experienced
during those three days, nothing impressed me more than the work of Suhita
Shirodkar and Lapin, who had served as symposium correspondents that year. Running
from workshop to workshop, sketching every activity and then reporting back to
the USk community, Lapin and Suhita made the symposium come alive as only
sketchers can. ‘One day . . . someday,’ I said to myself then, ‘I want to be a
symposium correspondent.’ You can imagine how excited I am to have my Urban
Sketchers dream come true!”

More about Tina.