Thwarted by a broken down car, a crashing film file and a lost photo image I have a few minutes to spare.
I’m not going to go into depth about the days shortcomings, I’m going to talk about a moment, a little thing but quite immense in some ways. I am not a mother who draws her children but last week, waiting at piano lessons, Esme asked me to draw her portrait. And I did. Time is at such a premium I tend only to draw as part of a greater process, tightly embedded in my current practise, certainly never purely for pleasure.
The moment happened as I drew Esme’s mouth. I caught something of her character that sent a thrill of pleasure through me, and I remembered how drawing used to fill my days, before art transformed into work, before rigourous and critical life drawing classes had made me walk away from the thing I loved most. It was as sharp a sensation as a scent which brings you back to a particular place and time. It caught me by surprise.
Sometime soon I’ll make time to do some more.
