More than two years and I’m a lesser person for the effort! Especially disheartening since one of my two main goals in life is to become a better human. I’ve been trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with me. Now that I’m near the end of this task, it’s clear that I’ve been myopic. The details have consumed me. Big picture? What big picture?

Draw. Step back. Look. Repeat.

Coincidentally, since Covid hit, I’ve been sketching, from real life. Like a fiend! Quick ones, pen only, no erasing, at dusk, whatever seemed fun. No painting and almost no drawing from photos. When I started, my stuff was awful. I mean, almost stick figure. Seriously. And no, I’m not showing one of those. But since I didn’t plan on sharing, I winced and kept going.

Artists create snapshots. I can’t share the whole of what I perceive. When my heart is open and I make art, I hope that when you see my art, you and I will connect through the divine. But it takes some skill and the only way I know how to get skillful is to do it…a lot, endure the crappy and focus on different aspects I find interesting. Getting lost in the minutiae, I think my little visual window is the whole thing.

Now that I know I’m just looking at parts of the whole, and that’s all I can see right now, it’s possible to be gentle and patient and kind. So here are some of my favorite sketches, because there’s nothing wrong with just addressing art (and life) a bit at a time. And finished doesn’t have to mean ready for consumption.