Two Harbors artist starts Sketch Bomb!

• John Ulrich

Ulrich with his painting, Nike, inspired by a sculpture at the Louvre museum in Paris. LaReesa Sandretsky.
• Ulrich's studio

Ulrich's studio in his home in Duluth. LaReesa Sandretsky.

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• John Ulrich Artworks

John Ulrich, a Two Harbors High School graduate, has lived in Duluth since he moved there to study studio art in college. The ten-year resident and two of his friends recently came up with a new concept to strengthen the fine arts community in his adopted hometown.

One night this spring over beers with John Hoban and Geoff Welles, the trio started sketching. One would throw out an idea and all would sketch an interpretation of that subject.

During this drawing contest, they realized they could use their concept to bring artists together, Ulrich said. They event developed into Sketch Bomb!

“We really started this thing for artists to meet other artists in the community,” Ulrich said.

The concept is simple: anyone suggests a topic, the artists sketch for 15 or 20 minutes and they all compare when time is up.

Ulrich said the best part is at the end, when the artists get to see the completely different interpretations of one subject.

The second Sketch Bomb! of the summer will take place Wednesday, Aug. 22 at the Duluth Art Institute, located in the Depot in downtown Duluth. It goes from 5-7 p.m. and artists just need to bring sketching materials and creativity—refreshments are provided.

“Artists of any skill level can come,” Ulrich said.

Ulrich’s specialty is oil painting and he does some graphic design on the side. He claims his favorite subjects are peaches—“I like all the different colors, shading and texture”—but his studio is full of various still lifes and sketches of all sorts of subjects.

Sometimes he sets up a scene to reference as he paints, but he said he typically paints from memory. The painting featured most prominently in his studio features peaches. It’s entitled “Nike” and was inspired by a sculpture he saw in the Louvre while on vacation in Paris.

Trips to Europe aside, the art scene in the Duluth area still sparks his creativity.

“There are a lot of local artists and a lively community in Duluth,” Ulrich said.

More of Urlich’s art is available at www. ulrichworks.com. His work appeared in the 2010 Arrowhead Biennial Show at the Duluth Art Institute—a show that features the best artists from the Midwest--and he’s hoping to display his pieces there again in 2012.

Tags: arts and entertainment, john ulrich, two harbors, life