A sketch from the Doctor’s office

Over the weekend, I had an issue with my eye that sent me to the ER.  I had to go to the eye doctor yesterday as a follow up.  They put drops in my eyes to dilate them and then they put me in the waiting room until my eyes were ready.

This is a sketch that I did while in that waiting room.  It was more keep me busy because I was a little nervous.  It was the best I could do with blurry eyes.  I couldn’t make out whether the subject was male or female (the drops messed with my vision) but as I was leaving  later, I saw he was a boy.  

Sketching on the street

Went out sketching with my sketch group this evening.  It was mild for a bit, then a fog came in off the bay and it got chilly and damp.  It’s May 31 and my fingers got too cold to hold my pen.  

So no color today.  Maybe I will add a dash of color tomorrow…

Strawberry rocks

Sometimes as artists, we need to put our skills into something that we didn’t quite go to art school to learn how to do.

We have a large strawberry patch in our yard.  Last year, it was attacked by local wildlife.  I looked up home remedies and one suggestion was painting strawberry rocks to put in the strawberry bed to distract the wildlife from the real thing.  The trick is to put them out there early enough where the birds and wildlife will grab the pebbles and then discard them when they realize they aren’t food.  Supposedly after a while, they won’t bother your garden because they will give up after failed attempts.  Well I’ll let you all know if this works or not.

If it doesn’t work, they make pretty decorations.

Commencement 

My sketches are based on a special event today.  

Today our youngest child has graduated from college.  While attending the event, I sketched it.  Graduation ceremonies can be a little long so I came prepared with a moleskine sketchbook and a Uniball pen.  We are very proud of her and her accomplishments.

May has been busy!  This week, before the graduation, we had another grand baby come into this world, we had three birthdays, Mother’s Day, and other activities.   Plus, the terrible news that Chris Cornell passed away.

On the way to the graduation, the radio was playing a song that Chris wrote on the spur of the moment to ask his girlfriend to marry him.   The radio played an interview about how he describes the event and how he turned the little tune into a song on one of his albums.  He said that the song didn’t turn out quite as well, in his thoughts, as that original tune he sang to his fiancée.  He said it was missing something.  I found it interesting that a musical artist critiqued his work in a very similar manner as a painter feels about a painting they did.   Chris was a genius with writing music and his vocal skills are legendary.  In my humble opinion, his Bond song “You know my Name,”  was one of the best and kicks ass just as much as “Live and Let Die.”  To hear him express doubt about something he recorded was surprising because I never thought that someone with his fame would ever have doubts about his creativity and creations. I am a fan of his music, but fame also makes you forget that they are people with insecurities, too.  They are saying his medication may have caused the actions leading to his death.  Maybe it’s time to find a cure for anxiety that doesn’t require medication.