Sketchbook Porn: Maria Michurina

I was born in Moscow, Russia, and grew up in a family of physicists—a background that led me to a career in mathematics. After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2010, I discovered quilting, and later, painting. I’m still not sure how I lived without it before.

In 2018, I attended a workshop with Ken Kewley on Bainbridge Island, returning again the following year. That experience, along with the 2020 lockdown, was a turning point in my artistic practice. Painted paper collage became my primary medium, with drawing and painting evolving naturally from it.

My work often draws on memory—fragments of scenes observed, imagined, or only half-remembered. I enjoy the presence of narrative in my art, though I rarely know exactly what the story is about—and I find joy in that ambiguity.

mariamichurina.com @michurina.maria

Tell us about your sketchbook practice. I began a consistent sketchbook practice in 2022. At the time, I was working as a teacher, and the shift from in-person to online classrooms had an impact on my health. To support my recovery, I started taking daily walks—using drawing as a reason to step outside. I’ve always loved drawing, so I gave myself a simple goal: find seven interesting things during each walk and draw them before returning home. Since then, my sketchbooks have evolved. I now make them by hand—binding the pages and creating covers from found cardboard. Once every page is filled, I finish the book by collaging or painting the cover. The entire process, from building the book to completing the final cover, brings me great joy. These books are filled with drawings of my surroundings, as well as studies of artwork that make me curious. Looking back at older drawings often makes me smile—they always turn out funnier than I remembered.

How would you describe what happens in your sketchbooks? My drawing books are collections of stories I gather wherever I go. Over time, I forget the details of these stories, and all that remains are the drawings. Once the context fades, the images turn into stories of shapes. I enjoy them more that way. It's always fun to revisit these compositions and work from them, be whether through painting or collage.

What does your sketchbook allow you to do that is different from the work of your finished creations? Staying consistent with these simple drawings has become one of the most valuable habits I've developed over time. Each drawing takes only a few minutes, but it helps keep me in a creative mindset. I feel deeply unsettled when something keeps me away from the studio. Carrying these small sketchbooks in my pocket wherever I go feels like taking a piece of the studio with me.

What are your tools? I use a graphite pencil because it fits easily in my pocket, and I don’t carry an eraser—it’s just one less thing to worry about.