EDM 188 - A Peanut

I didn't really feel like painting today, which is probably when I should, so I did. I wasn't overly inspired to paint a peanut or to get creepy childhood songs stuck in my head, but I did both anyway. Just keepin' the sketchbook honest.

EDM 188 - A Peanut; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 187 - A Fan

I'm old enough to remember having to carry my own fan to stay somewhat cool during un-airconditioned church services during the hot summer months. I had a wonderful, pierced-wood folding fan that I loved. I wish I still had it.

EDM 187 - A Fan; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 186 - Something I've Always Wanted

On this day, when the ladies' figure skating Olympic gold medal will be awarded, I am remembering how intensely I wanted to be as graceful on ice as the figure skaters I saw in the Olympics when I was a young girl. I could skate fairly well, but I could not scratch spin or spiral or jump. Sigh. It was such a strong yearning at the time. Fast forward 40 years. I still want gracefulness, but more of attitude and spirit than of body.

EDM 186 - Always Wanted; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 185 - A Cat

The 2014 Winter Olympics have been going on for the past two weeks, which means at least two things: 1) we've seen human beings doing extraordinary things that most human beings can't do, and 2) we have heard a fresh batch of curling jokes that should carry us through to the 2018 Games. As sports go, curling is fairly goofy looking, but I suspect that those who make fun of it haven't actually tried it. I am sure it is much harder than it looks.

I watched some of the curling matches, and though they are fairly boring, I am fascinated by its precision and simplicity. Cats are similarly fascinating. So much of what they do is unique to cats. I'm convinced they're boneless. I love how they go down for a nap. They circle the spot and gracefully curl down into the circle they've mapped out. The last step of cat curling usually involves tucking in all the loose ends. If you had to uncurl a sleeping cat, it's hard to know where you'd start. They make curling look easy. But, most humans couldn't get into that position and relax enough to go to sleep. It's super human. Like most Olympic sports.

EDM 185 - A Cat; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 184 - A Park Bench

Drawing this brought back happy memories of Mother's Day 2013, spent in NYC with my daughter just a couple weeks before her wedding. The benches in Central Park are fairly unusual in form, but function as well as any bench. They aren't boring, and that makes them delightful.

I love negative space drawings, especially when the only solid thing in the scene "occupies" the negative space. I guess this would be better designated as a negative space contour drawing, but too many precise titles can really ruin the mood!

EDM 184 - A Park Bench; 3x3" watercolor

Forgetting My Pencil

I left the house with a sketchbook, but no pencil. I had plenty of pens, but I'm not usually confident enough to sketch with pen. I really dislike messing up a journal page. Okay, I am afraid of messing up a page in a journal. "They're sketchbooks; they're for practicing," I say to myself. "I know, but...," I say back. I know I need to get over this fear.

My grandmother was a quietly funny person. She worked crossword puzzles for fun, and she was fond of saying, "I'm very confident. I work crossword puzzles with pen!" Okay, Grandma, I hear you. I drew this with no guidelines and with a ballpoint pen, and I like it! It's gonna be okay!

Psalm 63:1; ballpoint pen on mixed media paper

Field of Dreams Sketches

This is a random "field guide" page from my imaginary field of dreams. I don't really know much about flowers or plants. I don't even look that closely at them, which is why my potpourri of flowers and greenery is almost entirely fanciful.

Field of Dreams; 5.5x8" Visual Journal

EDM 183 - Something Dangerous

It's almost ironic that something that came to symbolize the birth of an idea, namely Edison's incandescent light bulb, is now deemed too dangerous to use. Is it possible that Oscar Wilde knew something we didn't when he said, "An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all"?

EDM 183 - Dangerous; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 182 - A Truck

Some sketches have a back story that is not obvious. It might be interesting to have people guess what my "life as a trucker" was about based on my drawing.

EDM 182 - A Truck; 3x3" watercolor

The Everyday Matters Facebook group jumped right on this and guess immediately that I worked in a library and carted books around on a hand truck. I was delighted to learn that several others had experience as librarians. My life as a trucker is more than one story...literally. I worked in the library all through my college years. The library occupied two stories of what used to be a Catholic monastery. It was a gorgeous, old building and a wonderful place to work. I checked books in on one floor and regularly had to transport the books to the other floor where they were shelved. So, I learned to drive the book truck up and down the steps. It was good exercise.