On April 14, 2026 I was invited to talk about my sketchbook art on a Webinar hosted by Dina Brodsky. This was an amazing honor! And it was noteworthy to find out I was one of the few women artists to be interviewed. One for the girls! Dina is a major artistic force and voice for sketchbook artists worldwide. (@dinabrodsky) She’s also a very kind and enthusiastic person to work with. There were the standard questions about “what pens and pencils” I use. (Pigma\Micron black ink 005, 01, 02, and brush) “What size is your sketchbook?” (In my backpack, that goes everywhere with me, I carry a 4×6 inch sketchbook that works especially well while sketching people in a crowd–like on the subway. And a 6×8 inch one for sitting in front of terrific trees or a great landscape. I have a 3 1/2x 5 1\2 for imaginings. Back at the studio I use a larger 8 1\2×11 inch–for more detailed drawings.)I was pointing to some sketches I did in October 2025 while in New York and a delightful suggestion was made by some of the webinar attendees: “It would be great if you and Dina formed a sketching party in Central Park!” Absolutely. Someday.And on May 1, 2026 I was invited to be on a Zoom with the author of the graphic novel, Hidden, (the light color hair) that I illustrated and and with one of the producers of a documentary film about the story of Hidden (Jody Glover). This Zoom was with a class of ninth graders somewhere on the east coast.
A student asked a very thoughtful question: “How did doing the research and the art for a graphic novel about the Holocaust affect your emotions?” It took me 4 1\2 years to illustrate the 96 page book. I couldn’t have done it without the internet. The Nazis of Hitler’s time were proud of their brutal work and took a lot of photos. I was surprised at what I found to assist in telling the story. And, yes, there were times when I felt the darkness of that time. It weighed on my mind. Art is an emotional project. I probably won’t choose to revisit that history as entertainment. I’ve added it to my list of unsavory topics: slavery, native American marginalization, abuse of women and children and animals. But it was very instructive and knowing history assists me in understanding my own.
A few words regarding Zoom: We live in an amazing age of technology. We’re on the edge of an AI tsunami. But I remember a time when there were no computers, no internet. Some of the transitions to tech were difficult…but every time I go out to the car to go someplace, I am grateful I don’t have to hitch up a horse! Anyway, Zoom showed up in 2013. By April 2020, because of a pandemic, Zoom became a global necessity. It went from 10 million users to 300 million users. I am grateful for Zoom! Here’s hoping we will learn to manage and use well the technologies that lay ahead.
dilleenmarshwomanartistrenaissance 