My inspiration for this drawing was Luke 12:6--"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of these is forgotten by God." A testament to God's fidelity is the lone sparrow. I have simply made it an addition to my present interest of rendering old windmills.
If you ever come to be fearful, lonely, or just plain needy-- remember the sparrow. If God is not so busy He can watch after a small common bird, how much more important are You to Him? I pray God will reveal Himself to you in this way today.
Hope you enjoy the drawing and the ones I have planned to come.
What attracts me to adobes? The hand-formed mud plastering and the organic rounded corners are a good start. I also like the cool interiors with that earthy smell. Each adobe has its own personality, much like humans. They are like individual commissioned portraits. They seem to rise from the very earth they are made from. I do not think I will ever tire of drawing them.
This adobe image is from the Taos pueblo in Taos, New Mexico. It has all the elements I like about adobes (i.e. the play of shadow and the rounded corners and feel of having always been there). I first visted there many years ago. I payed the Indian at the gate the entry fee and found a place to park. I was taking photos at a terrific pace when I noticed the same Indian approaching with a angry look. Did I not know there was an additional fee for photo taking? Well no! It was the first and last time I ever PAYED to take photos of anything!
I'm a recovering post traumatic stress disorder victim from the Viet Nam police action. My early attempts at curing myself involved creating drawings based on my selective memories. It was not totally successful. Then I tried destroying all of mentioned drawings. Again I was only partially successsful. So, now many years later I'm trying a new strategy. I will attempt" not to remember through the process of remembering" by drawing from what memories I have left that will not go away. If that makes any sense at all. But this go around they will not be destroyed but rather offered up for sale.
The image 'Ban Me Thuot' is my first attempt. Tim O'Brien wrote, "They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing---these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories."
Retired last August from a hundred years at the uspostoffice and now have Time for art again. I can now draw anything I want, for as long as I want, and in any media I want. What freedom! I'm free, free, FREE!. Now, what do I want to draw???
Let's see. A few months ago I visited a local windmill museum. Boring right? I had always looked down my nose at any artist that would lower themselves to draw a windmill. It's so industrial and and just plain boring. But after being there for awhile my eyes began to open. If I explored the different angles, and change the light , and render in a different way the humble windmill could make a worthy subject.
So I completed my first windmill drawing. It was a good start. Then I did another one. I liked it even better. I did drawing after drawing. I was beginning to really like the humble windmill. It was becoming the noble windmill that was misunderstood. I now wanted to become its spokesperson .
I grew up in West Texas. Who understands the windmill better than a Texan? Who knows the feel, the sight, and the sound of a lone windmill on a windblown piece of God forsaken land in the middle of nowhere? That has to be me. I'll spit to that.
So check back in with me from time to time. More windmill drawings are in the works. I'm thinking I will go more narrative.
