Spring always feels like the real start of the year. The world starts to wake up from its winter slumber. We’re picking daffodils and tulips from the garden, and it’s still light when it’s time to put the boys to bed.
I’ve got tomato seedlings popping up on the windowsill and potatoes sprouting on the corner of the kitchen bench. Nature knows it’s time to get started - life will be easier with warmer, longer days ahead.
And that’s true for drawing too. I love this warmer half of the year when I can draw outside more easily. My fingers don’t freeze and watercolours dry on the page in a reasonable time.
I am a potato. During winter, I bide my time and remain mostly dormant, drawing inside and from my imagination. Spring is here, and it’s time to get going again and reconnect more directly with the outside world in the garden and in the sketchbook.
You’re a potato too. Just like a spud you already have what you need to get going. You’ve got ideas and plans stored up in your brain. The sprouts are sprouting, and you can do something with them.
By the end of the season the original seed potato will be gone, but if you do it right, there will be a whole heap more spuds. Pick up pen and paper and make a few marks. Harness the natural energy of spring. Get outside and draw.
By the end of the season, there’ll be a whole lot more drawings. Maybe you’ll even learn something. It doesn’t matter what you draw. Looking at something and making a drawing of it can be a near-magical experience. Even for a potato.
I haven't even planted my tomato seeds yet, ak. This weekend...
Analogy is very apt. That's how art is also getting evolved which is quite natural.