When the pandemic invaded our cities in the spring, the streets were empty and people were sheltering inside their homes and apartments. Who fed the pigeons? // It was quiet and lovely and spooky. Definitely not right. Cities have come back …and so has the virus. Maybe this time around the outcome will be a bit different.
04-13-20a: watercolor, chalk, ink
09-17-18a: crayon, watercolor, ink
09-20-18a: crayon, acrylic, watercolor, ink
09-12-19b: watercolor, ink
08-15-14a: mixed media
08-29-20b (ink, watercolor)
What do animals do when humans are not around? They watch and wait. They sleep. They look for things to eat. But most of all, they wait in the eternal Present for the next thing to happen (which is probably more waiting.)
With limited graphic means one weekend in a vacation home, these characters appeared in my sketchbook. Who are they? What is their dynamic? How will things turn out?
We are not exactly in the Garden of Eden. This place is scrubby and rocky. The stems are spiny and thorny. The sky just is agitated and can’t make up its mind. A pair, or sometimes a trio of crows pal around. They are participants and observers. Into this stasis, swaggers a very hungry wolf who has one insatiable desire: to gobble up smaller animals.
The nimble birds are always one step ahead and soon they begin to feel sorry for the wolf. It is the wolf’s nature to be scrawny and hungry. How can they help the poor thing? Can they do it safely? Can they live happily ever after?
The wolf has perhaps outgrown his magenta cave. He’s so big and he barely fits and scrapes his scrawny vertebrae on the hanging stalactites. The three crows have been wondering about the unpleasant noises coming from the cave. Will they depart, terrified? Or will they stay at a respectful distance and offer to help the wolf find someplace a little more commodious?
10-29-20a: watercolor, pastel, ink