Art Rediscovered
In the spring of 2020, in addition to the pandemic itself, and, in part, as a direct result of it, several life-changing events happened in a short period of time, and I was hurled into a new and unstable reality. I very quickly realized that I am someone who needs a focus and a purpose. One morning, I came across a grainy black and white photo of Buddhist monks walking from their monastery down a hill. As I studied the photo, individual shapes and perspectives began to emerge from the overall image. Despite not having done any drawing for years, I was inspired to try to sketch the picture. I found an old journal with plain pages, and a pencil, and went to work. Then I did it again. And again. Then I did a version that combined elements of the photo with my own ideas. Then I went over it, painstakingly, in pen. Then I did it with pen and added some color with a long-ago-gifted set of watercolor pencils. The final result was a small, stylized, detailed illustration. Monks on Alms Pen a