Jo with some of her sketches. She finds great joy in helping others discover their creative voice.
Growing up surrounded by art and books, Jo Bone was fated to be a teller of stories through pictures.
“I was always drawing as kid. I loved colouring in. I loved making pictures. My mum's an artist, and she always encouraged us to be creative.”
Jo, an Academic Resource Officer, considered illustration as a career, but her love of languages won, and she pursued a degree in languages and art history.
And while art took a back seat as life took over, it wasn’t completely left behind, Jo says.
“I’d make cards for people, and when I had children, I did a lot of creative things with them when they were young.”
A stint at community art classes and a fundraising effort for her son selling illustrated cards reignited her passion for art.
“This got me on to trying different art forms, making Christmas decorations and soft toys with felt and fabric, and exploring collage.”
Jo’s favourite mediums include ink, watercolour, coloured pencil, gouache, and collage.
“I love experimenting with new techniques. In my illustrations, I strive to bring characters to life, infusing them with personality and a touch of humour to spark a smile.”
Sketching is what she enjoys most, Jo says.
“When you look at a sketch, it takes you back in time, to what was happening around you while you were drawing.
“It really is a special kind of record.”
A tree in blossom on the Otago Dunedin campus inspired Jo to start on solo sketching jaunts, she says.
“I remember walking past this tree thinking, that's a really beautiful tree. I think I'll come back on the weekend by myself to sketch it.
“So I did. I sat there for a couple of hours drawing. I really enjoyed the peacefulness of it all.”
On the left, Jo at Hampden Beach with her trusty stool, which she carries with her on her sketching jaunts. On the right Jo’s sketch of Hampden Beach.
Her solo trips and sketching around Dunedin with her son and friends led Jo to start offering group sketch walks.
“I would select different spots to sketch in a location such as the Dunedin Botanic Garden, provide participants with the art materials, and offer guidance as we went around.
“I ran a special workshop through the Dunedin City Council in the portrait gallery at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, where I set up a treasure hunt to find certain settlers and sketch them into a little booklet.
“And one for the Wild Dunedin festival at Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden where I gave participants a circular viewfinder to find something to sketch that fit into a circle.”
Covid brought a hiatus to the sketch meets until an email from a visiting artist late last year kicked things off again.
“An artist in Singapore wanted to catch up for some on-location sketching during his Dunedin visit.
“We met at the Saturday farmers market and decided to have a go at sketching the folk band playing there.”
While it was hard to sketch a lively band in a busy market, the challenge spurred Jo to invite more locals to join in and give it a try.
“We had such a good time, we decided to start our own sketching group called Dunedin-Ōtepoti Sketchers.”
The group meet once a month at a different location to sketch what inspires them.
“We catch up for coffee afterwards to talk about our sketches. It's a great way to inspire each other and see how people interpret the same location.
“I love the feeling of community and connection, both in bringing people together with a common interest in sketching and in the friendly interactions with Dunedin locals and visitors we encounter everywhere we go.”
Dunedin-Ōtepoti Sketchers is working towards becoming an official chapter of Urban Sketchers, Jo says.
Urban Sketchers is a global community of sketchers dedicated to the practice of on-location drawing, with local chapters around the world.
“Everyone’s welcome to join, no matter their skill level or media they prefer.”
That’s what best about art, she says. There’s no right or wrong.
“A lot of the time it’s have a go and see what happens. There's a lot you can learn like that, as well as by making use of instructional resources online or in person. You don’t need to be born with talent to make art.
“There are countless ways to express yourself and it’s never too late to start. It is a journey of learning.”
Jo’s journey has given her many opportunities, from group exhibitions to workshops, corporate and private commissions, and sketch meets.
But the essence of it all is “discovering and expressing your creative voice”.
“It's about making memories,” Jo says.
“Going somewhere, being present, taking in the scene, looking for inspiration and then finding your own way of expressing that.”
See more of Jo’s work on her website or Instagram. If you’re keen to join Dunedin-Ōtepoti Sketchers, check out their Facebook page.
~ Kōrero by Sandra French, Adviser, Internal Communications