Three page spreads, three examples of where I am. The first one is an example of frustration. I chaperoned one of my daughters to a get together at a restaurant, but it turned out that all the other parents just dropped off their child so there I was, the only adult at a long table with eight 14-year olds at one end and me at the other. My daughter texted me, "you can leave if you want to" because speaking out loud to me would have been too mortifying, apparently. But instead of leaving (because I hadn't eaten yet), I sat and sketched. Only my pen didn't like the paper, and I didn't have enough water or the right brush for what I wanted to do, and I was too impatient.
So the next day, while I was watching something on TV, I sat and sketched this from a photo I took last summer. I may add color, but what I enjoyed was slowing down. This was the opposite side of the page above, and the finish was smoother - more hot press than cold. This time my pen didn't jump around (or was it me?). I let myself edit what I included (as opposed to the restaurant there I threw in everything).
And then later still I did these portraits of my companions.
I used a new pen with water-soluble ink, and had only got fussy around the ears.
Editing and focus. And a calm center. That's what I'm working on.
