Manchester United

(by Fred Lynch, near Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

I fear that I sketch less than of anyone who attends Urban Sketchers symposiums. Everywhere I go, I see participants sketching and I think, should I be sketching now, and not walking? Not eating? It’s astounding to see so much sketching enthusiasm. As an art professor, I’m always surrounded by art making, but never do I witness such a burst of energy and camaraderie as at these gatherings. So many introverts extroverted!

In Manchester this year, I met some new friends and chatted with some of my sketch heroes. My three workshops attracted students from 15 countries. I found the city to be warm and familiar (perhaps because I come from “New England”). But, alas, I over-scheduled myself (again) and hope that next time, I’ll spend more time in the center of things and not at the outskirts. Who knows, I may even participate in my first ever sketchcrawl. Maybe.

Thank you to the organizers, participants, and “Mancunians” and for making my trip so rewarding.