Into every life, a little housework must fall...
Naps will be taken,
leaves will be raked,
dirty laundry will sud, spin, and dry.
Cats, demanding food, water to be given,
await a warm and cozy bed and the attention of a busy hand.
Husbands tinker while men far away mow each other down with a push of a beefy tattooed arm, all the while pursuing a small ball down the field in freezing cold weather. Repeatedly.
It's Sunday, day 4 of the first 31 days and alas, I have only sketches to show.
Did I ever say that my former job was in banking? Not poetry but finance, sort of.
OK, day 4 and I just have my sketches. There really wasn't a good time for painting today so, just drawing. The good news is that for the last 3-4 months I have been doodling and drawing a lot. These are sketches that I didn't think would go anywhere but were really just mental and physical exercise. That means that the above line drawings, many of them, are based on these past practice sketches. I have been going through my previous sketchbooks and sketchpads for ideas. Things that I didn't know what to do with before suddenly seem to have a purpose. We'll see.
I listened to a radio podcast recently (Ira Glass-This American Life) in which the host, Ira, was talking about how the first several (OK the first 10-15 years) of your career could really suck. He really emphasized that quite a bit. His contention was that to start with, your taste level is quite high but because you are only at the beginning of things, are just learning, your skill level is low. There is a gap which can be frustrating. His solution of course is to make as much work as possible, regardless of your chosen profession. Doing more will help your skills to catch up. You won't ever be Michelangelo (or Arnold Palmer or Emily Dickinson-fill in the blank) but you could hit a level where your taste and skill were compatible. It sounds just fine to me!
Hope everyone is having a great Sunday. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
I like your poetry! Since i know you I can read between its lines concerning, cats and a husband that watches football.
ReplyDeleteI like your sketches in the red ink. They have a potential for abstracts.
Cate
A lovely poem! You are so creative Libby and it shows in everything you do.
ReplyDeleteTime spent on art is never wasted... it all adds up to something.
Sketching is enjoyable and important. I enjoyed seeing yours. I agree with Cate. The red ones would make great abstracts.
ReplyDeleteBery clever with words, dear Libby.
I have a wonderful art friend who is head and shoulders "above" the rest of us (well, he has been at it much longer than the rest of us). He always says drawing and painting are the same. I get that. I've always liked drawing and planning---and we should think of all that as just as important (if not more so) as the splashy color business of painting. Love seeing your thought process. ll
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the poem. I was curious where you were going with the beefy men mowing each other down, though.... ha! football! of course! I see all kinds of possibilities in those sketches. I need to do that too... just map out some basic compositions, with areas of contrasting values. Your such a good example of a serious artist, Libby! One of these days I want to figure out what the heck a 'podcast' is, too!
ReplyDelete