Last year I gave myself a goal to create a drawing based on every Sunday of my life for one year. And even though I had already been doing similar drawings for months in my sketchbook, I decided I wanted to complete a set of 52 drawings using a consistent format and materials. So here I am one year later with fifty-two drawings and to help me learn more about my art turned journaling practice I’m going to share them, one per week, in order, one year later.
I chose to start the series here: a map of walking a busy street in one of my old neighborhoods in Philadelphia. There’s a sense of humor in this map. Mapping the shade covering the sidewalk reveals there’s actually little escape from the heat. A very sweaty walk in August despite the name Spring Garden. There’s also a sense of loss and perseverance which I see mirrored in the city at all times. The city morphs around us but certain elements serve as remnants of the lives lived here. This fence pole covered in stickers is a perfect example. This one even has a tag [SPORT] by my favorite Philadelphia artist who’s no longer with us. He’s gone but the record of his having been here remains. I see his tag all over the city especially in our neighborhood, and it prompts me to remember and to keep moving forward. History accumulates in layers. There’s also a feather that fell in my backyard last summer near a little sprig of volunteer lavender. Loss & growth are everywhere. And btw Stag Dance is a great book too.