Pain

What if God's blessings come through raindrops

And His healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know He's near
 What if trials of this life

Are mercies in disguise

Laura Story

Life

A person's life purpose

Is nothing more than to rediscover,

Through the detours of art,

Or love,

 Or passionate work,

Those one or two images

In the presence of which

His heart first opened.

Albert Camus

Al Dente

One of the personality traits of someone raised in a family where alcoholism ruled is the tendency not to finish projects. My dad often said I had a grasshopper mind. True. My brain is on scan most of the time and I my interests vary greatly. Lately, art has been low on the list and is perhaps the reason why I haven't posted much over the last months. The drawing has been on my board for quite a while. I've added a line here and there when the mood grabbed but now am done with it. If you want, I could say that it's state is to represent the reality of relationship. We communicate with someone's face. What we feel is expressed by our visage. We generally remember a person's face before any other characteristic about them. So I have drawn with detail all that is important about the people.

Artistic intellectualism. Bleah. It's just unfinished.
.

On Love

.
Love is not affectionate feeling,

But a steady wish for

The loved person's ultimate good,

As far as it can be obtained.

C S Lewis

Another Drawing

I couldn't think of a title for this, hence it's name. This needs a little more work, but I'm tired of it and need to move on. It was really an exercise to get more familliar with colored pencils.

The fellow sitting was in a wheel chair and visiting the older gentleman.  They looked as though they were going on an outing. Once again, it's better in the real.

The Doors

Regrets

Another stranger. He looks like he might have just been dumped by a girl friend.

Mandy

Susan and I met her in a London pub near the Globe theater while she was waiting for the next performance to start. I took her photo thinking she didn't notice but obviously did. I asked if I could get her to pose with a stare out the window but all were stiff and unnatural looking. I based my Improvisational drawing on one of those poses. We conversed a while and found out she worked as an engineer in the US and designed parts for atomic bombs. Smart gal.

Skeletons

If you can't get rid of the family skeleton

You might as well make it dance.

George Bernard Shaw

Cactus Flower

These bloom once a year for a couple of days and are gone.

A Mom

Lime Lady again in color. I saw her on a bench and asked if I could take her photo. What you see is what I got. The interchange only lasted a few seconds. I should have stayed a while and chatted. The baby must be a toddler by now. This was two years ago. The prior sketch took about five minutes. This is closer to how she looked.

Woman in Lime

Mood

Moi

The assignment was a self portrait using a mirror. So a 10 minute sketch is what resulted. This isn't the best look but my vanity isn't what it once was. It's also a reversed image. I really do look better, at least Susan says so.

C'est La Vie

I've never figured out why one of those wagon trains traveling to Shangrila out West stopped here in good 'ol Phoenix. "Yo, circle the wagons folks. There's a little water here, it's hotter 'n Hell and they aint much ta eat. Keep them hankies on yer faces sos the dust don't choke ya. This is it!" Probably too much loco weed.

Phoenix was recently voted the most miserable place to live. The criteria was based on gas prices and unemployment.  Am I miserable? Not today. I'm retired and my cars get good mileage. The weather is perfect. The Sun is shining, there's a breeze from the South, the trees and flowers are in bloom, and there's a taste of pollen in the air with a hint of air pollution. Not too bad.

Suffering and discomfort await though. In a short few months the Sun will blast with photon torpedoes, what little green we have will fade and brows will bead. Air conditioners will burn dollars to cool and filter dust and all will long for an oasis. So if you're alone and miserable in some other location in the world, come to Phoenix this Summer, you'll have lots of company.

Stick for Quacks

Bogged Blog

I've been putting in a new floor in my home and taking an art class. I'm not too excited about bloging for now. Back later.