Left Handed Complement

Lately I’ve been trying to shake up my art making habits.  I’ve not been letting myself go to my default time-killers, like knitting or mindless beadwork (as opposed to beaded imagery).  It’s been really difficult.  Some days I don’t do anything at all because I’m “not allowed” to go to those default activities.  I just feel that right now I really want to concentrate on one or two forms.  And I really miss drawing.  It’s my original voice, and it’s gotten buried underneath all the other layers of forms I’ve been visiting.

Last night I watched the Grammys, and as I watched, I decided to do something a little different.  I allowed myself to draw with my non-dominant hand.  In this case, my left hand.  I had fun and wasn’t worried about the outcome or making it perfect.  And as I drew I could feel the delight coming back.

This guy kind of reminds me of Max from Where the Wild Things Are. 

I think this is my favorite.  I had lots of fun drawing the suckers on the tentacles, and the little fish remind me of the submarines I drew for the Sketchbook Project two years ago.  I think I will be revisiting this image again.

By the third drawing I was starting to think about subject matter.  I thought this was going to be a bee, but she kind of morphed into someone sleeping in their cocoon.  I’m not sure what the dream is about.  I added the jar because it represents the container for her dreams.

This was drawn near the end of the show, when they were announcing the Song and Album of the Year.  I didn’t want to fill the whole sky with flowers and that is why I drew the big marquee.  It reminds me of the ending credits of the old Bullwinkle show.  You can see how tired the little bird is by the circles under his eyes.  It was a long night of fun.

Drawing this way really helped me loosen up and just enjoy the process.  I highly recommend it!