Welcome to a week of not very glamorous sketches! Ever have those days when nothing seems to come out well? It happens with art too. It took a real act of will to set pencil to paper and ignore that whiny “But it’s hard,” voice that was constantly in the back of my head.
The first sketch is of a turtle I saw at my sit spot, as well as some other things I noticed. If it’s not meant to be a finished product, I like to point out things I noticed or thought of, hence the notes.
The second is from an adventure Sunday. A friend and I went to Nelson Atkins Art Museum. We were there to explore the new exhibit of Nefertari, the favorite wife of Ramsese the Great (she possibly knew Moses!). My friend likes to write and I like to draw. I always being able to walk away with a sketch of someone else’s great work. (And it slows you down enough to digest what you’re actually seeing.) But we spent hours there, so by the end I felt like scurrying away instead of going back to the statue which had caught my eye. With the insistence of my friend, and wanting something to show for my time, we took about twenty mixtures to do our own art thing. She wrote on what the exhibit and travel does to one’s mind, and I sketched my Mut, the Ancient Egyptian’s patron of Mothers. The sharing of our work sparked a very rich and enjoyable conversation which happened because we both decided to harness our will power and do some art!
The third and fourth are of some of my students who were being read to, and a doodle of a statue I’m dreaming of making so that our outdoor classroom can have a proper crucifix. I’m proud to show you the last page. It’s work I’m embarrassed to show -definitely not winning material, but at least habit and will power was made stronger, Deo Gratias!
Bridget Bryan 