Wrong Way

There have been occasions when I believed I was headed in the right direction, but doubt sets in when the signs for upcoming towns shouldn't be cropping up en route.  Turning around isn't a consideration, because so much time has already been spent traveling in the wrong direction.  And then there's the misguided notion, that I'll be able to get my bearings and set on the correct path once I come to the end of wherever the road leads.

Halfway through copying one of Michelangelo's works,  it became obvious I had gone off track. Drawing can be so absorbing in a pleasurable way, that it's easy to course off in the wrong direction for far too long--and of course turning around? Ugh, not after all the time invested.  And yes, then there was the hope that I could somehow make it right by continuing down the wrong path.

There is a positive side to my being off course I suppose. What did become apparent was my need to devote more time to proportions, the practice of facial features and modeling--oh, and drapery is a real bugbear for me.  A lot comes to light when I review where I've been--or should I say where I should have been.

I'll put this drawing aside and start another.  One thing driving and drawing do have in common--you arrive somewhere, even if it's not quite where was originally intended.

Winter Continues

It's as if someone cast an enormous snowball when you least expected it.

"Not nice!"

White with even the faintest hint of color is always welcome at this time of year.

"and all else"...

"Man, made in the image of God, must also make the image of his own love.  He makes songs and tunes and drawings and poems; children's stories, fairy stories, jewels, dances and all else that tells the story of his heart long after his heart is dust." 

The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander

Now the new year has begun it's always humbling to look back and see what had, and what had not been accomplished.  There's a spectrum of interests I hope to explore: new books, new recipes, new embroidery stitches, new patterns, new music--and yes, it goes on and on.  The thoughts of what you might do in the new year are akin to that Christmas "wish list" you used to write down when you were little.  Not everything can be had, but it's the joy of dreaming and paving the way for what might be.

So I'll set time aside time for drawing practice, within a flexible framework--it's about enjoying the process, rather than being a slave to it. If it's in the heart to create, it will come together in its own time.

Note: the youth from the Prophet Ezekiel: Michelangelo--The Vault of the Sistine Chapel