spottedroo

I’m been feeling kind of burnt out recently.

Creatively, scientifically.  I’m not quite sure why.  Part of me feels that I have been doing the same things over and over again for many years.  Or maybe it’s just that having a kid didn’t magically transform me into the model of efficiency and productivity that I’d sort of hoped it would.

When we took a longer vacation up to Vermont recently I debated bringing sewing stuff, or trying to make some progress on analysis.  But in the end I decided to just bring paints.  I think it was a good decision.

In drawing “loose” is considered a virtue.  Unlike sewing, and science, where precision and replicability are prized, a drawing is valued for its spontaneity, its expressiveness, its ability to capture a particular moment.  That’s the reason we warm up with quick sketches at the beginning of a class.  With limited time, you can’t stress too much about getting a line “exactly right.”  You can’t over-fixate on details.  So maybe there’s something from drawing that applies to my other subjects as well.  The looser your hand, the truer your vision.  That’s the hope anyway.

This sketch of the road just up from our house is far looser than my normal style.  Does it work as a painting?  Meh.  But I do think it captures a little bit of the glorious indian summer we had the first weekend.

Also it was fun to do.