A cat, a mouse, two owls
And rain on a still pond
I woke one morning with the bastards in my mind before I'd lifted my head off my pillow. Of course, it wouldn't be good to let them run amok there, so, I got up, made coffee and grabbed my sketchbook to draw a blue cat enjoying something.
A blue cat has become one of my “stock characters” that I know I can draw easily (because I've practiced) so that as I draw I can focus on my feelings and thoughts rather than having to wrestle with the “how/what do I draw” question first. I practice the how/what of drawing almost daily so that when I need mental health soothing by drawing I've got the art supplies and know-how to use them as well as more than a few stock characters or patterns that I've practiced for use when I suddenly need something to draw while I feel and think. I don't worry about drawing perfectly I just want to draw well enough so that I'm not distracted from my thoughts and feelings during the drawing process.
I find that the antidote to almost everything troublesome is to draw and write in ways that resist, refuse and ridicule the bastards (or whatever is bothering me)1. Having some art materials and stock characters ready is like knowing where my comfort blanket is.
Here's a look at my “comfort station” where I draw and write in my sketchbooks and notebooks in the mornings.
On the table is a tray with my pens and pencils. Also on the table is my paint palette and all of my sketchbooks and notebooks. The books are all 3 x 5 inches. The paint palette when closed is about the same 3 x 5 inch size.
Here's the view of the same table from my chair.
One of the many things bothering me lately is the attempts by politicians to deliberately misuse, manipulate and control words2.
Words are used to describe the world. Words may, and often do, lead to actions and vice versa. Actions and our experiences of them often need words to describe the actions and the effects of them. Words and actions are how we connect with each other. To deliberately separate words from actions, pretending they have nothing to do with each other, often means people can't communicate or get useful, helpful, stuff done.
To deliberately manipulate meanings of words so as to confuse some people in order to get those confused people to hurt other people… is… well, a lot of words come to my mind and many of them have only 4 letters. 🤬
So, on another morning to resist, refute and ridicule the bastards trying to deliberately, maliciously conflate the words “transgenic” and “transgender” (see my footnote link regarding3 - spoiler alert the words are not the same!) I used ink and gouache and drew a mouse.
While I am not transgender I can still be protective, caring and against the bastards who would bully them much in the same way that I can be protective, caring of a 7 year old and stop a bullying 7th grader from hurting them even though I am not 7 years old myself.
And to further refute and ridicule the bastards manipulatively freaking about words beginning with “trans” on another morning I made this word list in my sketchbook using blue fountain pen ink.
All of this A.M. sketchbook drawing activity had the effect of rejecting the bullying bastards cruelty and reclaiming the peaceable, whimsical, joy4 of my mind. Which, of course, led to some owl drawings… not sure I'm finished with these pages yet… but here's what I've done.
Another morning I thought of how each word, each action, each person has rippling effects - for good or not - with which each of us is impacted. So I drew a pattern of dots falling on a still pond.
Note to self: Try to be a good-rippling dot sending out kindly words and actions… and drawings.
My wife
knowing that I enjoy watching the patterns of steam rising from a hot cuppa shared this video of her coffee mug that I'd made for her more than 20 years ago.Wasn't that soothing? May the steam rise high from all of our cups and the joy from our hearts and minds rise higher still.
Thank you for your ongoing patronage and support! I appreciate you!!
A printed reproduction of one of my entire sketchbooks is available here.5
Here's an interview of me conducted by
in which she asks me to show more about how I've addressed mental health topics using my sketchbooks.
Here's the link to my printed sketchbook all spelled out https://www.blurb.com/b/12223780-a-m-sketching-g
Thank you dear ‘good-rippling dot’! Lovely images and lovely ways to recharge from the battering of insanity that pervades the world these days. Take care dear soul.
Keep the Joy coming. It's the best weapon in our arsenal against oppression!