Another Book

Annie, my very patient and tolerant wife (whom I love so very much), upon seeing the receipt from Barnes & Noble, said "Are you ever going to stop collecting Art books?" as the evidence of yet another purchase passed through her fingers. It seems that this is something I do. If I'm interested in something, I buy the books. So I hove tons of books about computers and related stuff, Motorcycles, golf, photography (the winner if there's a contest), Tarot and other mystical stuff, Astronomy, Science (Physics) and Music. And Art. And of course, that doesn't even include my collection of Fantasy and Science Fiction books and other literature I'm fond of reading - which will vary from time to time. I love to read.

And now I love to draw. That new Art book I just purchased has an outline drawing of a nude in the first few pages - I copied it and I think I did well. I made mistakes in drawing it and in correcting those mistakes I think I learned - about how I make mistakes and about correcting those mistakes and about how everybody makes mistakes.

In the past I have done some simple draftsman type work - plans and such which require precise placing of lines and proportions are carefully measured and everything is very 'cut and dried'. I couldn't do that for a living, even though it's 'drawing'. I like the freedom that sketching and drawing give me - not every line needs be precisely placed - as long as the resulting impression is accurate. As long as the proper feeling is expressed. As long as the idea comes across. Those are very liberating notions. Perhaps it is the ability to adopt those notions and incorporate them into one's psychie that gives one the courage to put pencil, charcoal and chalk to a blank piece of paper - forever changing it.