Folk, Illustrated – Kaitlin Chow’s Newport Folk 2016 Sketches

Over the year’s covering the Newport Folk Festival we have met a countless number of interesting folks. Artists, other photographers and then every so often you meet someone with a different eye. Someone who captures the festival in a way that is unique and wonderfully cheerful and jubilant. Last year Kaitlin Chow shared a few sketches from the weekend on her instagram feed and I was pretty floored with the results. I initially fell in love with the photographs she was posting, but these sketches hit me in a profoundly different way. The character and perception of the artist is displayed in a distinct and extraordinary way than most of the photographs that come from NFF. These are special and particularly intimate in how she takes what she sees and feels at a split second in time and draws it out in her notebook. When she asked if we would feature some of the results here on RLR this year, well the answer was obvious.

About the artist (in her own words): I am an artist based in Philadelphia with a background in interior design and dance. For the past 5 years I have traveled up to Newport Folk Festival with my boyfriend who introduced me to the festival. The history of the festival alone is impressive. Add on the history of Fort Adams you get the festivals uniqueness and charm. I have never been to another festival that’s had a crowd so kind and loving of the music. I love that the atmosphere is family friendly. In the past years I have brought my camera and have captured some of my favorite photos of all time. Last year while I photographed the performances I also challenged myself to sketch some of the sets. The thrill of quickly sketching movement has always been a love of mine but until Newport Folk Festival I had only sketched dancers. There’s no better way to capture what the festival means other than to be fully present, listening to the music and see what speaks to you. Finding a musicians quirk or a special moment in the crowd. Jay Sweet and his team have done a fantastic job creating and preserving a place for and about the music. The memories captured in my sketchbooks contain everything I love about this festival (#newportfolksketch). Folks that feel like family, a fort that feels like home and music that never disappoints!