Tomorrow this little travel blog turns one year old. In that time, I’ve jumped around in time and place, in hopes of showing you as many different sketches as I could: country scenes, cityscapes, vintage kitsch, wildlife, you name it. But while I love me some roadside attractions, I must confess that my very favorite thing to draw might just be the road itself.
My sketchbooks are absolutely full of road sketches—either full scenes that I take time over, or little margin notes that I jot down quickly from the passenger seat as the car moves ahead. I just can’t get enough of them. I’m fascinated by how the road moves with the land, following hills and curves. As I race to put each vista down in the book, the actual road at my feet seems to transform into a painted line—tracing the landscape like a sketchbook drawing on the grandest scale imaginable.
In the past year, I know I’ve shown you quite a few of these road drawings, but I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I have in my sketchbooks. And that’s because even after nearly a lifetime of taking road trips, and many years of drawing them, I still feel like I’m only just getting started.
So here’s to the next year of this blog, and to the road ahead. Thank you for coming along with me for the ride.
Ghost domes 
Forgotten canyon 
Twists and turns 
Thank YOU for sharing!
Really? A year already? Being a total road trip junky I love going along with you … thanks for sharing.
I totally agree about the appeal of a road disappearing somewhere up ahead. There seems to be so much meaning packed into such views. Love your blog!
Happy Blog Birthday! I’m just so happy that I came across your wonderful piece of the ‘net. I’ve been to a lot of the places that you show so it brings back happy memories, and as far as the places that I haven’t been, well, I want to go there now!
Thanks for sharing yourself and your work with all of us! 🙂
Thank you, everyone! I really appreciate you all being here.
I so enjoy your sketches and story telling, Chandler. You are graced with such a beautiful gift and are using it well to bring joy and beauty into our world. Would you believe this old unartistic teacher of yours from years ago started painting with oils last year?? Just having fun and enjoying seeing what forms!! I follow this art instructor online named Wilson Bickford. Remember when I tried to sketch an animal on the chalkboard, all the kids would say, “Have Chandler do it!!” Love and hugs, Joanne
Oh, Joanne, it’s so lovely to hear from you! Thank you so much for reading—and I wish you all the best with your painting! I haven’t worked with oils in years now, but I still miss it. I love the quality you get from oil paint—there’s nothing like it!
Love your illustrations–and traveling vicariously through them! Happy blog-iversary!
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