During this isolation, my studio time has really been impacted. Even though my kids are not toddlers who need constant supervision, they need me and my presence as they navigate the uncertainty of where we are now. We are also figuring out this online learning thing together. I have adjusted though and brought in paper and pencil to keep working in a way that doesn’t require hours in the studio, as well as to keep creating for my own mental well being.
What is it about drawing that is so healing? Since I was young, drawing has always been an escape for me. The world quiets down, it’s just me, my pencil, paper and whatever I am looking at. In that quiet moment, we are able to connect with the self, while at the same time connecting with the world outside of the self. Getting lost in the lines, the shapes, the light and shadow, in the response to a mark just made…it’s like a dance.
So I have been drawing, specifically too with an upcoming show in mind. I don’t know if the show will be canceled or postponed, but I will create as if and hope that by the time I am supposed to ship out, we will know more than we do now.
And there have been a few days where I have had a few hours in the studio to finish up work that I shipped out to Cappaert Contemporary Gallery for the 2020 season and to start incorporating my drawings into my mixed media works, as seen below.
In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about this word.
persevere: per·se·vere | \ ˌpər-sə-ˈvir \persevered; persevering
intransitive verb: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement
Stay well.
BGM – quiet drawing with pencil is like a meditation. B