Mark Ulriksen: Character Studies
Drawing from the crowd at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
This is the fourth and final post in a series about process.
Every October, when the fog has abated, illustrator Mark Ulriksen attends the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass event in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. He brings a sketchbook. It provides him with an opportunity to get out of his studio and draw on-the-spot.
You’ve probably seen his illustrations on New Yorker magazine covers. The drawings he makes at Hardly Strictly are neither painterly nor conceptual. They are energetic and spontaneous. Working in this setting helps make them so. As the music plays Mark sketches both spectators and performers. They show his particular point of view and narrative attributes.
I asked Mark a few questions about his process.
Bill Russell (BR): Given your interest in bluegrass music and your close proximity to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, you've managed to attend many Hardly Strictly Bluegrass concerts. What do you like most about this particular event?
Mark Ulriksen (MU): My interest is primarily with live music and I like both the bluegrass and the hardly bluegrass parts, as well. Since high school I've been a live music fanatic and this festival is by far THE BEST because the vibe is so great. Everyone is so happy to attend a free concert in a beautiful park with family and friends. We make friends all the time with fellow music lovers sharing proximity with our various tarps and blankets. Our group is about 30 people and covers three generations. It's our annual reunion.Â
BR: You bring your sketchbook and pens to this very communal celebration. What and who do you like to draw?Â
MU: I typically draw stationary people, usually from behind. I concentrate on interesting looking clothes, hair and especially how the sunlight is hitting them. I also like to try and catch the musicians in action, as well as the crowd responding to the music.
BR: Does the music or performance influence the way you draw?
MU: It does to some extent. Faster music might make me draw faster but in all honesty the amount of imbibing in various substances has a bigger influence on how well I draw.
BR: Your drawings display a lot of confidence in the line work and in the way you compose. Are you self conscious when you draw in this public setting? Do you aim to be as Robert Weaver says, ‘an accepted, unobtrusive presence?’Â
MU: I wish I was as poetic in describing the experience as Weaver does but that’s it exactly. I am conscious that I’m drawing strangers and they may or may not notice (or like it). I'm also aware that occasionally folks might be watching me draw and they are always very friendly and may ask to see what I'm doing. I also may show someone what I drew of them.
BR: Do you tell stories with these drawings?
MU: Only rarely do I try and make what might be called an illustration or narrative. The sketch of singer and songwriter Kurt Vile started as a portrait of him playing but he was SO LOUD I decided to add a page opposite of the crowd reacting to his volume. Mostly I just draw what I see and find interesting.
BR: Have you ever taken these drawings into final paintings or illustrations?
MU: No. Good idea!
Bluegrass music is known for its fast tempos, tight harmonies, and virtuosic playing on instruments, like the banjo, mandolin, and fiddle. Despite Mark's modesty I think his drawings have similar qualities, that are unpretentiousness and a whole lot fun.
All drawings © Mark Ulriksen
See more of Mark Ulriksen’s art on his Instagram and website.
In this series I’ve been writing about the process various artists go through in the art they make. First I wrote about Robert Weaver and how he transposed his on-site drawings into published illustrations. Then I wrote about Tomio Nitto and the Zen way he walks and draws. In the third installment I wrote about Frank Hodgkinson and the visual diary he made on his journey up New Guinea’s Sepik River.