This oil painting was , for me, an explosion of a new freedom I found after finally getting a home nearly 40 years ago, a room with a sink and a bed and a window. I hadn't painted for years, and never without extreme self-consciousness. But years of homelessness changed me and my appreciation of "art". That freedom eludes me these days, that 'ignorant' notion that I can do whatever comes to me. I'd love to get it back. Surely it's in us all. It may be better to paint to be satisfied than to paint to satisfy...
This little book had several tiny squares/rectangles per page. At first I didn't know how to fill it (2017). Eventually I sketched trees, scenes, birds, animals I'd seen during a days walk. It accidentally became a diary of seasons! Not all my art is nature sketching, I'm a watercolor artist as well. But line and pen drawing, halftone is what I've been up to for a while.
Sketch of Amy with various arm positions. A preliminary Moleskine sketchbook work-up for a future full-sized illustration. 2B Pencil, Soft Charcoal Pencil on 5.5” x 8.25” Moleskine sketchbook. Model: Amy_D
"Hold your head up, you silly girl. Look what you've done. When you find yourself in the thick of it,
help yourself to a bit of what is all around you, silly girl." Frustration, frustration, and the anxiety that goes hand-in-hand with it. It's hard to let these things go.
Pen and Ink of Harvey Pekar, writer for underground comix and notorious guest on David Letterman Show. An original fellow with a movie made about him called "American Splendor".
