Visual Notes

Konrad Zoll, a.k.a. Sketcher, sees his art as the best means to connect with the world around him. He also tends to leave civilization for stretches of time to commune a little more directly with the natural world.

I met Sketcher at Trail Days this past May. As an Appalachian Trail hiker he wasn't nearly as concerned about his mile count, like most of his compatriots, but trying to capture his experience with charcoal. Visual Notes he calls them. He explained how he stops often as he hikes to capture scenes of distant mountains, winding trails, dense foliage, shelters, botanical specimens, and the occasional wildlife study.

As I scrolled through his portfolio, so many simple sketches were so iconically Appalachia that I almost felt like I had walked past that same mountain view this morning (though its been 6 years since I hiked the AT).

Sketcher further develops his sketches once at home at his studio to create realist color pencil drawings and oil or acrylic paintings.

Very inspiring.

-Suzanne