Vicki Smith Illustration copyright 2020. Illustrations of daily life. Plein Air landscapes of Northern New Jersey.
It's still pretty nippy here in New Jersey with temperatures hovering around freezing, but at least we have sunshine today. When I was out walking I noticed that some of my neighbors have daffodils just beginning to bloom. I bought the ones pictured at the supermarket a couple of weeks ago. Yellow just seems to evoke spring.
Eye glasses have all sorts of connotations for me. This winter I have been trying to do at least one drawing from life each day and frequently wind up drawing myself in the full length mirror that sits on the floor in my studio. I may use a sketchbook or pick up a piece of scrap paper from the floor. The point is to not be too precious about the whole thing. Even though the self portraits frequently don't even bear much resemblance to me, the one thing that remains a constant are the shape of my glasses. They are the starting point that I use for the drawing. As I get older, I can't see as well as I used to close up with either contacts or glasses. When I draw myself, the image in the mirror is clear, but the page in front of me is slightly out of focus. It's easier to be a bit looser with my drawing when it is a bit of a blur.
