This drawing was inspired by a poem:
“Lost”

Stand still.
The trees ahead and the bushes beside you are not lost.
Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you,
If you leave it you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still.
The forest knows where you are.
You must let it find you.

_{An old Native American elder story rendered into modern English by David Wagoner, in The Heart Aroused – Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America by David Whyte, Currency Doubleday, New York, 1996.}1 month ago

Lately I’ve been trying out some new ideas esp. since some things were starting to feel repetitious. I’ve been wanting to find other ways to develop my art while remaining true to a personal style. I do worry about being too conventional but I’ve done a few pieces like this and have at least felt refreshed by the change in approach. This piece signifies the struggle of the monarch butterfly whose numbers have been decreasing significantly. 3 months ago

I’ve drawn several birds now and when I start out I always think they will be some color or other but when it comes down to it, they seem to want to be white. So I figure I’ll just go with that… 7 months ago

to run imagination like a computer. Of course, there is a soulful side too. 10 months ago

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to expect any art thing I start to be a success – in fact, the majority of things I create really end up being a mish-mash of half-realized ideas. So, I have two folders: in one, successes and in the other – well, the rest. That folder is by far the fattest. When I see that a piece is not working out, I’ll stay with it a little longer anyway – it’s freeing then because it becomes purely experimental and that’s when discoveries are made. And sometimes what looks like a mistake ends up being a fortunate accident allowing me to see something in a new way. Having figured this out has helped me be less intimidated by the whole process. hmmm. reminds me of life~ 10 months ago

Since I started doing these drawings a few months ago, I have really come to appreciate the therapeutic nature of having a creative outlet. The past couple of weeks have been demanding and I feel like I’ve been pulled away, so I’m committing to working on something artistic every day if I can, even if I’m only able to spend a little bit of time on it between obligations. I started a new piece over the weekend. The layers & level of detail usually take me a few days to complete anyway, so it’s good to have something to chip away at. Here’s a drawing I completed fairly recently. :) 13 months ago

Continuing to experiment -I’m not a painter, my space is very limited and I’m not keen on the prep and clean up that comes with paints. Instead, I really enjoy and prefer working with pens & pencils. The most challenging thing for me is coming up with ideas. Anyhoo, I’m sharing this snowy owl because he was fun to draw and I liked the contrast. :) 15 months ago

This and some similar drawings evolved from my bird doodle-pattern design… something to build on, maybe. iac, I’m having fun with it. :) 16 months ago

Recently I came across “Zentangle” which is apparently a copyrighted technique for doodling. I liked the results it seemed to produce and although I’m not familiar with the finer points, I decided to incorporate the pattern repitition idea in my own art. For this little bird I used regular marker pens and although it’s not great, it just made me happy. I’ve produced some other pieces, and would have to say that the whole ‘doodle as art’ thing has really inspired me and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to draw and/or explore some ideas. 16 months ago

I’ve very much appreciated the cheers I’ve received on this goal so I thought I should probably write something to say what it means to me. It mostly refers to my efforts at abstract art and story. I like the riskiness of it but haven’t felt brave enough to display anything here. However, it’s one of my more satisfying goals –(and a humbling process. :D) 18 months ago