Making Space

quiet afternoon, colored pencil, 8x10, 2011

I read Kandinsky's book "considering the spiritual in art".  Very intense, intellectual, academic read.  Thank goodness it was less than 100 pages.  But it motivated me to draw something again.  My intention was to just draw non-representational shapes, but they looked too much like hair, so I let it become this portrait of I don't know who.  

I drew this while sitting in Coffman Union on the U of MN campus.  My daughter was in a swim meet at the aquatics building.  I remember protesting the construction of that building.  That was a long time ago.  The swim meet was so crowded I absolutely could not find a place even to stand without being in the path of people trying to enter or leave.  Crowds freak me out, and it was going to be at least an hour before her next race, so I went for a walk around the campus and ended up in that quiet spot.  Shortly before I left to return to the swim meet, someone sat down at a nearby piano and began to play.  It was quite pleasant.  It was less crowded when I returned to the meet and a friend saw me and made space for me next to her.  I was very grateful.