". . . a brush with nature"

This year I am truly starting from "sketch." That is, I am starting over, starting anew, and starting fresh. It isn't a decision I made by choice, but one that was thrust upon me by shoulder difficulties last year and then surgery to correct the problem in late January. Along with the more traditional exercises prescribed by my physical therapist I am also drawing every day. You know, "a sketch a day keeps the doctor away." Large canvas paintings with big arm movements just aren't on my horizon for a while, but a pad of toned paper and a pencil is just the right thing for both the physical and creative healing process.

Starting over is alright for a lot of reasons. Working each day with only a pencil and sketch pad is refreshing. I am forced to exercise my creative and emotional muscles in new ways right along with the muscles in my shoulder, arm and left hand. (And by the way, it is quite amazing how much you really feel those muscles as you make those small movements with the pencil!) I have always sketched, of course, but this is with a new intensity and regularity. I am exploring subjects I have always been passionate about, as well as those that are not as familiar to me. I have come to realize my sketchpad is filled with seeds of inspiration . . . some of which will bloom into full scale paintings, pastels, or scratchboard pieces somewhere down the road. Great ideas wait amidst the simple lines and shadings of my sketches.