drawing a day ~ week 39


drawing a day ~ week39 Originally uploaded by dressform.

this week i felt like i went back to LINE. it might be because i was talking to the class about line - about it being the foundation for everything - for shape.... the idea of line quality and how different lines can operate... divide space, make space, decorate.... i also feel like these are kind of sparse... like i was emptying out.....

have you ever felt like your brain was full? that if you had one more extraneous tid-bit to process that you'd tip the scale. shut down. i think i'm about 10 tid-bits away from that. so i'm purging. useless info please step aside. don't force me to dig you out and add you to the trash heap.

the problem is you don't always know when a tid-bit might be usefull, right? it might just blossom into a full fledged idea or inspiration. plus i'm a pack rat. so purging is not my forte.

i have also forgotton a bit what i's like to be out in the world. face to face w/ john q. i'm actually kind of liking the extra stimulation [although it does make me more tired. must build stamina]. i love little observations :: the 60 + man in a fake fur bowler hat w/ a toothpick and polyester suit. where is he going?? in the brim of his hat is the spare [toothpick of course] :: or the man with dreads to his knees and 5 brightly colored plastic water guns... not the $50 kind.... he's sitting on a bench inspecting each as if he was an army corporal caring for his weapon.

but what i also realized is that my bus ride :: this time of year :: sad songs on the ipod :: jolt me back to last year when i lost my grandpa. it's certainly less painful now, but it is amazing how the mind works. one note of one song and i remember sitting in the same seat [back right if it's available] silently crying behind my sunglasses.

but those are the things that i want embedded in my brain for keeps. because i think that within our biggest joys and sorrows lies our humanity. and you can't ever have too much of that.

Comments

Anonymous said…
riding the bus is a good thing, lis. i should do it more often. and not just because gas prices are so high.
Jan Halvarson said…
interesting thoughts....

it's cool to read someone actually process thoughts like this, as they are so untalked about; yet so familiar.

i liked that.
dani said…
you are such a lovely soul.
Anonymous said…
Isn't it about one year since your Papa passed away? Amazing, isn't it, how the mind brings memories up to the fore around the time of an anniversary of an event?!? Sounds like yours are poignant ones very much worth savoring...even if you feel a bit sad you also feel richer for having these recollections. But especially for having had HIM in your life!
Bri Ana said…
Ah, the line. You just gave me some serious foundation class flashbacks... I think it's good for all of us to go back to the basics sometimes, even geniuses (geni?) like yourself :)

I have such a love/hate relationship with the bus. The matter of being in such close contact for extended periods of time, and yet the mix constantly changes so there is this transiant aspect... and good ol' velocity, and rate and time. You pull into yourself, behind cell phones and iPods and sunglasses and it's actually such an intellectual experience. You can't avoid rubbing up against your own emotional state by fiddling with the radio, screaming at other drivers, arm hanging out the window playing in the breeze.

But I digress, per usual. And time markers are bittersweet and beautiful all the same.
Anonymous said…
Awww Lisa..... Such a gorgeously thoughtful post. It's how the mind will trigger up memories unexpectedly. I saw some random instant noodle packaging that reminded me of my grandpa. It seems like only yesterday to me and yet it's been years.

I agree that sadness and longing is all about living and what makes us human.

Big hug xokaren
amy said…
lovely post lisa, did you notice how all the useless crap in your head got pushed aside for a moment to let in the memory of your grandpa from that one sense? Crazy how the mind works. xo, amy
Anonymous said…
love, love this post
hmm...packrat, huh? than i guess we can never be roomates because i'm such a bad one!
songs are like smells to me, they defintely jog the memory. i love looking at your flickr of all your g-pa's funny quirks(labels!). What a great man he must have been.
i completely agree with poppy comment-
hope this tidbit didn't fill the last spot-
i need to email you-when i learn how to create more time!
hugs to you-abby
ps-i always sit in the back right-and so does james!
Anonymous said…
hubby and i moved last year to be closer to work (we both work in the same town) - we had the quintessential hellish socal commute....i must say i occasionally miss that commute, as i found it was my time to process daily life....love your earnest writing, and the way in which i can follow the flow of your thoughts.....xo
Anonymous said…
Hi there Lisa,
I often wish I could draw and have it conjure up the same instant feeling you experience when you hear music... that clear, immediate message/feeling.
Happy 'taking your line for a walk' and clearing of the mind clutter... if you ever find a shortcut, do let me know...
take care, grache
paula said…
Love the flowers drawing...
I often find my brain is full. In fact I'm reaching that tid-bit, again... at the moment and need a break.
Processing I need but the hardest is to find the fine way.
bjs
paula
paula said…
ps: Hello! Hello! Grits message (sorry I didn't find your mail to reply)...yes I imagine this to be something like porridge, so yes eat it for breakfast. Although I'm more inclined to try the cheese or vegetables version. Thanks for your comments.
bjs
paula
shari said…
hi lisa,
i always love your drawings for the week. so cool to see what you've been up to. music always brings up memories for me too. thinking of you. xo shari

ps: your bus observations reminded me of maira kalman!
Anonymous said…
"...you can't ever have too much of that." Thank you, my friend, I needed the reminder.
Anonymous said…
indeed ... i am with you.
with the full brain thing & with the remembering a feeling of loss thing. summer has slowed down for me and left me time to fall into the cracks.

in other news, i got my necklace last week and have brarely taken it off. i love it so much. thanks for the music as well!

you're a love!
mav
lisa solomon said…
lisa.... :)

jan... thanks.... i find that sometimes typing them out helps me process....

dani.... you are a lovely soul!!

pat... yes... it's been about a year. and you are right - sad but richer!

briana... please digress more often.... lovely thoughts... thank you!

thanks karen!! human is good....

amy - yes! the mind does work in mysterious ways....

abby - i love that we sit in the same spot on the bus. that is so funny! thank you for your sweet words!

ky - it is funny how you can use commute time to process....

gracia - if i find a shortcut - the secret is all yours...

paula! so kind... can't wait to hear about your grits fest!

shari - it's so funny that you mention maria k... i had never heard of her and someone sent me 2 of her books.... insert twilight zone music here.... :)

hi mav.... i love the idea of falling into the cracks.... so glad you like the necklace!

xoxo to all
andrea said…
I love this post, lisa-- what you've written about being in the world-- about what you observe, what you remember. beautifully written. xo
Anonymous said…
I can't believe I missed two weeks of drawings!!
I love the power lines...and your thoughts on memory...I can still remember where I stood...ox

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