At kindergarten I appeared to be no good for much except drawing. I studied graphic arts at Sint-Lucas in Ghent, and later taught in the art school in Nyundo, Rwanda. I publish graphic novels and short stories, and work for magazines, such as Zone 5300 (NL), Mo* (B) and XXI (F). I am currently working on a graphic novel,
Abadaringi, about the art school in Rwanda where I taught. It is about the people of the art school I knew before the genocide, those I met again after it, and the new students and teachers. My drawing below shows a sketch lesson in the beautiful school garden being taught by a young teacher called Anaïs.
One day I was asked by the magazine XXI to make a 30-page graphic report about Flanders, where I come from, and found a theme in the village of
Doel, which is threatened by demolition for the expansion of the port of Antwerp. I went there and interviewed many people and made many sketches. After I'd finished I realised that the sketches made on the spot pleased me much more than the artwork I made in my studio, so I returned and made a 300-page album that consisted mostly of sketches made on location. Since then I have only wanted to publish stories made with sketches I made on location. I discovered the poetry of ordinary little things, which one would not remark on or think about when working from the imagination or in the studio. It is often in these ordinary details that you see the truth. As Patrick de Saint-Exupéry, the editor in chief of XXI, told me: Dessinez moi l’océan en dessinant un goutte d’eau (Draw me the ocean by drawing a drop of water).
More of Jeroen's work can be seen on his website and Facebook page.
"Since I was a child, I have always loved drawing.
As an architect, I was trained to sketch on site in my first year of my studies. I have always considered sketching a wonderful tool in my job to understand things, more in the field of spatial relations than in their material aspect.
On the other hand, I have always brought a sketchbook with me in my travels as a much more effective way of keeping a memory than a photograph. But lately my travel sketches tended to be too few and too quick.
I have recently found Urban Sketchers, and then discovered the immense joy of sketching outside with no particular task. Reading Usk’s manifesto, I feel especially sensitive with the point of keeping a record of time and place, and I’m changing from sketching just architecture to understand the city as a big scenario for human activity.
I live in Málaga, a city in the south of Spain with more than half a million residents and 2,500 years of age; but also the center of a busy and lively metropolitan area, home of an active harbour and a big tourist destination. Now that I have two small children and I do not travel as much as before, I’m trying to show this mixture of old and new in my drawings. It is so rewarding to share my work with so many excellent artists and receive continuous feedback from other members! And, last but not least, to learn from other parts of the world.
I'm delighted to join Urban Sketchers."
• Luis' art on flickr.
