Sketches of Memory: How Stories Come Alive in My Paintings
Every painting I create carries a story. Sometimes it’s a fleeting moment, a place I passed by on a walk, or a feeling that stayed with me for days. These stories don’t always come fully formed. They begin as little fragments — a tree leaning into the wind, a narrow path between hills, a window barely visible behind a thick branch.
This is where my sketches come in.
I often start with pencil or charcoal on paper, letting my hand follow the rhythm of what I remember or feel. These sketches might seem simple at first glance — just lines, shapes, shadows. But each one holds a detail that later finds its way into a larger painting. A quiet bench, powerlines crossing the land, houses tucked into hills. Sometimes it’s a wildflower I saw growing by the path — like the banksia I drew in July, each petal carefully marked, every leaf traced with memory.
These sketches are not just studies. They are part of the final work — a bridge between memory and canvas.
When I paint, I often revisit these pages. I might take the curve of a road from one sketch, a hidden window from another, and place them into a new imagined landscape. It’s like building a world from puzzle pieces of my own lived experience. Some of it is real, and some is how I felt when I saw it — calm, nostalgic, maybe even a little lost or full of hope.
Sketching helps me stay connected to the heart of my art — that every brushstroke is more than colour. It’s a feeling. A story. A part of me.
Thank you for reading a glimpse into my sketchbook and heart.
To explore more of my finished work, visit: www.alpanaraiart.com