I’ve been playing with charcoal, having tossed a drawing pad and a box of various charcoals into my bag for a short trip out of town. Yesterday I drew a still life (Joy: “A bowl of fruit? Isn’t that kind of a cliché?” Me: “But look at all the different textures in one place. That’s why so many artists like to paint them!”) (Or possibly: Because they’re frequently available, and, as Joy reasoned, they don’t move). Today I was so moved and inspired by Rex LeBeau’s drawing, Shadow, in the UU World, that I just wanted to try out different effects with the charcoal, so that’s what I did.

Doing some art every day is definitely a good thing in my life. And a good example of the games some of us have to play just to get ourselves doing what we want to do. For me, it helps to have made a page of 100 numbered, dated squares in my journal. Every day I make art, I fill in the day’s square. The compulsive in me really doesn’t want to leave any of them blank, so on the days when I’ve been tired and tempted to go to sleep and skip art time, compulsiveness works in my favor.

Even deciding on 100 days in a row is a game. Whatever works.

#100days

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