Friday, May 16, 2008

What you see

quote by Annie Dillard from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
graphite and walnut brown Faber Castell Polychromo in Windsor Newton small sketch journal

This has to be one of my favorite quotes from Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. "Cultivating a healthy poverty" she says. Sometimes I find it all too much. Too much clutter, too much visual stimulation. Often I am just looking for that elusive simplicity.

This also speaks to paying attention. I am guilty of not noticing what is right under my nose. The process of drawing, I have found, is largely a matter of paying attention. Learning to see as much as learning how to make the mark. I am enjoying finding things from nature to study and draw in this little sketchbook. Usually at some point while working on the drawing I am surprised that what I thought I was seeing isn't really what is before me.
Drawing these natural objects is forcing me to take a closer look.

5 comments:

MaryO said...

Again, a delicacy befitting the subject..lovely.

seesue said...

Your feather is lightly lovely the quote thought provoking.

Laurel Neustadter said...

Wonderful drawing and quote. It is something I need to remember.

Andres said...

Ann- your use of color pencils is great. Nice blog, great art, good commentary. I need to work on cultivating healthy poverty. Hard to do in a affluent culture.

andres
thanks for stopping by at my blog

Anita Davies said...

Beautiful feather

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