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KIRSTEN COWAN | Architecture
Sketches | Photos | Paintings
 Watercolor NYCWorking on plein-air watercolors and sketches encourages attention to architectural detail and the qualities of materials. |  PhotosInterests in boating, landscape design, and architectural history offer possibilities to document details at various scales, in photos, sketches, and paintings. |  Watercolor detailAn intense responsiveness to the natural environment - including plant types, topography, and climate - informs an interdisciplinary approach that blends landscape and architecture. |
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 SketchesTravelling and living in both very urban and remote rural places has informed a sharp awareness of place and each place’s particular qualities of experience. My travels have encompassed much of Europe and North America, along with Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Qatar. Each trip causes a kind of mental growth spurt in language acquisition, cultural awareness, and exposure to architecture — particularly the vernacular. |  Charcoal studiesThese studies of plant and rock form with light and shadow rely on close observation. |
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The ability to quickly and economically express ideas through hand sketches and paintings is essential in developing a free-flowing design process: a process that takes multiple, lateral strands of thought and fixes them on paper. As a communicative tool, sketches are indispensable for clarity and conciseness, when collaborating with others.
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