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 and watercolor pencils

That experience, combined with positive feedback and encouragement from my husband and mother, reignited my interest in composition and drawing, which had been dormant for ages. Over the course of the next year and a half, I acquired basic supplies, as well as an instructional book on hand lettering -  something I have been interested in for some time. I created a loose schedule for myself, and have been practicing seriously ever since.

A door closes (or in the case of 2020, many doors slam shut and are locked and bolted and furniture is stacked against them), and another door opens, as they say. That was certainly true for me in regards to creativity. Had it not been for the pandemic and its fallout, I would not have rediscovered my love of creating art.





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