Koala at the zoo. Sketch meetup with my studio art friend Kathy. The zoo may be closing here in a few weeks under the governor's new coronavirus prevention order. That will suck! I take my son every Monday. Our zoo has really beautiful, lush gardens.
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 illustration was motivated by recent changes I have experienced at work. We've been asked not to eat lunch together- even when socially distanced, due to recent outbreak of Covid 19 in our area. This captures the feel of isolation at work for me. Hope you like it!
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.
Are you open to others' perspectives? When presented with a difficult or polarizing topic it can be easy to ignore nuance rather than discuss it. Challenge yourself to be thoughtful and attentive in conversation - understanding begins with an open minded attitude.
