Sketches

Unknown Worlds yield Unknown Results….Yield….Yet Go at the Same Time….We could all learn a lot from Tom Waits….and from Leonard Cohen….With Time Comes Success and Recognition….Probably best not to force it….Let Time take care of things….For some of Us, Sketching is Thinking….We don’t know what we Think until we start to Draw….For me I have learned Not to ignore the urge to Draw….It’s important to Me Now….Drawing….Sketching….Painting….Writing….I draw for a Living, that will not change….I am a working man, and that reality will not change for awhile….I plan to be a  working man for quite a few years to come….I am fortunate because I love what I do….At times I wonder what it would be like to have complete freedom to draw and paint whatever I want….But for me, that doesn’t hold much intrigue….I don’t long for that freedom….I like the “paying work” that I do….I like the projects that I am hired to draw….Maybe I need the structure….Maybe I need the balance….Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that it works for me….I am ideally suited to my role as an illustrator….that, plus having a small amount of free time to pursue my own creative work along the way….And I do believe that it can be different for some artists….everybody’s different….I enjoy the right amount of artistic freedom, and the right amount of time to pursue my own creativity….Too much time to explore is stifling to the process, and is unproductive….I’m a producer of artwork, and it’s 4 parts others, 1 part for me….That’s just about right….I Love it when I have that Balance….Earlier I mentioned Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen….Two of my favorite Artists….Music and Lyrics are their Art….Tom Waits has been one of my favorites for over thirty years….I like the way he pushes himself as an Artist, without judging himself too harshly….At least that’s the way I perceive it….He’s done musical work over the years that doesn’t resemble his previous work in the slightest….You would be hard-pressed to prove it’s the same artist….and there’s something about his self-challenge that I really admire….It’s inspiring to see an artist push himself  in a totally new direction to see what he can produce….I don’t love everything he does….That’s not it….I love the challenge that he gives himself….and even what I would consider his less successful work, it still has integrity and some intrigue to it….Part of its appeal is him meeting his own challenge, in my mind….Leonard Cohen, on the other hand, I have only been aware of for a short time….I’m not sure why he went virtually undiscovered for so long….How does that happen?….What I see in Cohen’s work is an extraordinary talent with lyrics in particular….some of his music is also very special….haunting melodies….As an artist Cohen seems more careful….To me it seems he takes a lot of care putting his artwork together….he’s an excellent craftsman, as well as poet and musician….Not to say that he doesn’t challenge himself like Tom Waits….just that, like me, he prefers to work on his craft, and get it just right, before he releases it….I can relate to that….I think that introspection and refinement shows through in his finished work….There’s definitely a finished quality to it….There’s a great deal one can learn from other artists….and I feel there are different things one can appreciate about each artist….some things you see at 50 years old that you didn’t see at 20….For me I need a certain amount of time to do my work….and a certain amount of time to reflect on it….If I have that, the work comes out well….measured, but not overworked….loose, but not careless….a little bit of Tom Waits….and a little Leonard Cohen….that’s what works for me….some Inspiration and some Reflection…..An artist needs to push into new and different directions, leaving enough time to evaluate and enjoy the journey and to feel proud of the final product of that journey….So, that’s where I am right now as an artist….Hoping to stay busy in my professional life….and have just the right amount of time to sketch and paint and enjoy the mix….Unknown Worlds yield Unknown Results….Yield….Yet Go at the Same Time….We could all learn a lot from Tom Waits….and from Leonard Cohen….With Time Comes Success and Recognition….Probably best not to force it….Let Time take care of things….