Sunday, March 12, 2006 B

"Not Solitary at the Laundromat"
3:16pm

Thoreau might have said, "The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervis in the desert." I think it depends on which 'crowded hive' you are in. I was in the 'crowded hive' of the laundromat this morning, and I could not be a diligent student. I'd brought my study book, but Hornung will have to wait for another time. Fortunately, I'd also brought a sketchbook:

By the time I'd gotten to drawing the washer on the left, four minutes had gone by.
(Laura wrote 'Lansberry' on our laundry baskets, with her characteristic way of writing e's like backward 3's)

The washers are a dollar more a load than in our complex. After drawing the scene which stayed still, I decided to draw some of the people around me:

One man is mesmerized by the TV, while the thin lady in her dark leather coat did her laundry in HEELS!

The lady on the left never really shut up. She kept talking to a woman behind a tall clothes hanger. The other lady was busy on her phone.

This muscular Texas Cowboy fan just kept busy folding laundry...

This thin man in his Levi jeans waits for the countdown...

Sunday, March 12, 2006 C

"What I'd Tell a Younger Me"
8:40pm

52 Figments 3.12.06 :: Imagine having a conversation with yourself from 20 years ago. What would you want to say to yourself?

That's an easy one. I've already said this to my younger self:

"Stop! Cheese and sweets are NOT your friends!!!"

I'm screaming, with all the strength I can muster, but my young, thin self AIN'T LISTENING!

She doesn't look like she's listening, does she? All innocent and all...

That's me roughly twenty one years ago. I was maybe 130 pounds then. I have a picture of me about twelve years ago:

That's me about 155, forty pounds thinner than I am now...

Still, though, in terms of major life choices, I don't have any regrets. That's not bad, actually. So I count myself fortunate. Meanwhile, I'll try and listen to the 67 year old me. I'm sure she's screaming plenty, if I could just hear her.

Monday, March 13, 2006

"First Dance"
8:48pm

I've got to admit I was inspired by "Citizen Rob's" photo "First Dance". I like the pose of her head, her upward glancing eyes. I took the basic poses, and changed gender on them, now the man is the one with the upward glance. I gave him a romantic mane of glorious thick red hair. Because of the original poses, the man is smaller than the woman, maybe he is 5ft7in to her 5ft10in. This happens in reality. However, her right hand is awful disproportionately big. Oops! Still I like the hand to make a visual circle enclosing them, so I'm leaving it big. Also, I wanted the woman to have a 'golden' quality about her, so her dress has gold accents and is pale yellow, rather than the traditional white.

Whhoops, I errored more on that hand than the size. The thumb is in the wrong position. Thumb is right only if outer part of hand faces out, rather than the palm... Maybe I can fix this later...

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

"First Dance -Thoughts About..."
5:41am

So I wake, thinking about my picture. The hand, I don't think I will change it. I think it came out that way because my intuitive side is trying to express both aspects, of the outer part outwards in a protective encircling and also palm outward, as in a receptive fashion.

This morning, in reflection, this picture seems a metaphor. The lady represents Mystery, and then in this case, it makes sense she is larger than the man who loves her. Her eyes are shut, for she hides them. The man fiercely adores her and proudly. It is his 'First Dance', celebrating his love. He will always be wooing his love, and she will always be returning with her surprises.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

"Just a Weird Doodle"
10:20pm

I'll resist the temptation to analysis it. Maybe there's something about a mask, the 'masks' we wear for others, and communication of an idea.

Meanwhile, tonight we watched a DVD on Alexander Calder, by "American Masters", and it was most enjoyable. I had vague memories of little photographs of Calder's mobiles and stabiles from Art History classes, but they did little justice to his works. This film was good, for the camera eye caught the movement of the mobiles, and caught the way the stabiles changed appearance as the camera man moved around them. Quite a wonderous and playful artist, I felt an immediate attraction.