Drawing has been the foundation which I build my art upon. Whether a landscape or a figure, it is the drawing I construct from. Understanding the human figure has brought me a level of confidence that carries me through all subjects. Cows in a field and horses in barns are enjoyable challenges, thanks to years of drawing the human figure. Experimenting with different styles of drawing keeps things fresh and keeps my mind sharp. Hours at different workshops and meeting & seeing other artists has opened my eyes to different ways of seeing subjects.
Summer mornings sketching people relaxing, fishing, throwing frisbees about, and stopping at worksites to sketch men standing about waiting for the boss to give them direction. Drawing from life is great skill-building and you see how people live. Lovers, old and young, sharing lunch under the oak trees and pretty girls pulling up skirts to deepen their tans while reading a romance novel.
Fifty years of drawing people in parks and at open workshops has brought me an interesting life. Many times people want to see what I am doing, and let me know things about themselves. Drawing cornstalks, a gentleman from Italy told me about the herbs he was growing in his garden plot. Spending the summer visiting his daughter and grandchildren, he could not find the herbs he needed for cooking, so his son-in-law arranged for a public garden plot. As he told me about life in Italy I sketched him. And while sketching people, I got to know people.
