Over the past month, I discovered a new workshop event that regularly takes place at the Five Dimes brewery in Red Bank. It’s called the Sketchbook Club, run by Kate Maldjian of Manasquan.
As a graduate of FIT in Manhattan, Kate pursued a career in advertising / graphic design and soon decided that she’d like to do her own designing outside of work. Her workshops entail drawing and coloring your own images, where each one has a different theme. The one I went to involved a November theme where you draw autumn-related pictures.
Afterwards, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Kate for a while to interview her and get to know her a bit. It was interesting what she had to say.
Me: “So when did you recognize your talent and love for art?”
Kate: “Believe it or not, it all began with Charlie Brown cartoons. I used to love drawing Snoopy as a kid. I also took a bunch of art classes in high school and college, but the idea for this sketchbook workshop didn’t really hit me till I went away on a meditation retreat in Hawaii last year. I just loved the whole community of it and how it brought people together, and it motivated me to try and host my own back home.”
Me: “What medium do you like and use the most, and why?”
Kate: “I’d probably have to say a little bit of everything. I like doodling, collaging pictures from magazines, and adult coloring books too sometimes. But my favorite is definitely sketching. I just like to draw.”
Me: “What do you find to be the easiest and hardest thing about your process in creating your art?”
Kate: “Well, the easiest would be coming up with a concept for a drawing once I have a set theme. As for the hardest, that would be starting these events and putting everything into place. Thinking of themes is tough because I don’t want to repeat the same thing twice, but I also want people to feel excited from hearing the ideas I have.”
Me: “What other artists do you admire the most and why?”
Kate: “First and foremost, that would have to be Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. I’m also a big fan of Keith Haring, who was known for his colorful and cartoony street paintings.”
Me: “How do you get your ideas, and what’s in the future for you with your art?”
Kate: “A lot of my ideas are inspired by the seasons and the changing weather, along with the ever-changing seasons of my life. Now that I’m in my thirties, I think of concepts and themes that most likely wouldn’t have occurred to me in my twenties. I’m also expanding my sketchbook events into Asbury Park, and would like to spread through all of Monmouth County if possible. It’s just a matter of getting permission from the managers and the owners.”
Me: “Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had purely because you’re an artist?”
Kate: “Yeah, this event you’re sitting at. (Laughs) But a very memorable experience I had from these workshops was when a guy came in once who said he hasn’t drawn anything in over twenty years. He apparently used to be a phenomenal artist when he was younger and I don’t know what went wrong, but it blew my mind that I of all people got him into drawing again.”
On a closing note, Kate was not kidding about expanding her sketchbook community. She plans to host an event at the Asbury Book Cooperative on the last Monday of every month, along with two monthly workshops at Five Dimes. For more information, visit her Instagram page at @sketchbookclubrb
