Sometimes it’s just nice to return to simple paper and pencil drawings. The immediacy and versatility of graphite allows for a range of mark-making that can range from crisp and bold, to light and ethereal.
These drawings are just a few that I did over a three month period before dismantling my life in Windsor and moving to a new city. Soon after, COVID-19 struck and things never quite got back to normal.
My goal for now is to just get back into the creative flow with the most basic of media.
I am emerging from a long pause where deep healing, deep reflection, and much needed self-care were needed.
Babies are born, loved ones die, life as we know it often shifts into a new and unfamiliar reality. We adjust… and my own process is slow. Very slow.
During this extended transitional period, my creative output appeared to wane, while energies regrouped and turned inward. I am not yet ready to speak of my grief and what it has taught me.
Now, finally… outward flowing creative energy is once again manifesting. And I am delighted and grateful for my many blessings.
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In late January I felt compelled to pull out an old sketchbook and get back to my roots. I was curious to see if I had lost my touch, and I also wanted to re-establish some kind of a daily practice. This was a good strategy, because it worked, and now I wish that I had done some of those drawings on better paper. Yes, the paper is important. This is what my daily practice is looking like today.
Below is a work in progress (Graphite on Stonehenge paper). During my painting years, I worked in charcoal on occasion, but never went back to the humble pencil. Until now.
Michelle LaRiviere 