I was recently interviewed a bit by a man writing a book. He asked me several questions, one of which was “How do you see the world around you?”, which really made me think. I took about 10 minutes to answer him, but when I was done, I wasn’t really satisfied with my answer. It took me almost a week to come up with the answer, and it’s also the reason why I draw. What I see is important because it ties directly to why I draw, because it deals with beauty. I needed to share it here, because it’s very important to me.
What I see:
What do you see when you watch a bird on your lawn? How about the leaves on a tree, or a girl in the grocery store? Do you see a bird, a tree, and a girl, or do you see more? With the bird, I see the way each perfect feather falls in line with the others, the way each feather tip is lined in white, the glint in it’s eye, it’s scaly feet, the small whisker-like feathers on it’s face. Where other people see a tree, I see the lines of bark, the shapes of the leaves, the light that filters through from behind, and the way the roots dig into the earth. The girl is a complex figure to be studied… the way that single lock of hair falls across her face, the curve of her hips, the sweep of her eyelashes, the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathes, her fingers, her ankles, the wrinkles in her clothes.. there’s so much more to her character that a single glance can’t convey. All of this has it’s own special beauty. Everything I see has it’s own special beauty. The way the light pools in a glass of water, the flow of the chain in a necklace on the desk, the glint of silver on a fork in the sun, the wood grain in my desk, the shadow formed by half open blinds, etc… When I say everything, I mean it People though, are the greatest beauty. There’s so much to a person, so much of who they are in the body. It’s in the way they stand, watch things, smile, and laugh. The best is the eyes. The small glints of light in the eye, the flecks of green in a brown eye, flecks of amber in a hazel eye.. the way just the shape and direction can convey a world of emotion. Which brings us up to what I draw.
What I draw:
Naturally, I don’t draw what I see. You’ve all seen my drawings. I draw things that don’t really exist. However, each of my girls is based on something in a person I found beautiful. The headphones angel started out as the sweep of a girl’s eyelashes as she looked down in profile. The angel with the bluebird started out as a girl’s lips as she smiled slightly. The angel nude in the clouds began as hair in the wind. Amanda’s picture started out as a hand I saw in a Cosmo magazine. I draw women because to me, women are just prettier. Men are too lumpy. The curves of a woman are so much more appealing than the sharp angles of most men. Now, don’t get me wrong.. Men are good looking too, but you seldom see a really beautiful man. Yes, I promise I’m not a lesbian. The beauty of the human female’s figure and face is what’s important to me. Which brings us to why I draw.
Why I draw:
Now, you know I draw women because I think women are pretty, but what makes me draw? Why is it “In my blood”, as the saying goes? What makes me want to turn pencil lead into people? I’ll tell you why. Beauty. This goes right back to what I see. I’ve known for a long time that most people don’t see what I see. They see the bird, not the feather tips, the tree, not the light spaces, and the girl, not the hair across her face. These things are important to me, important enough to notice, and therefore, important enough to pass on. This is what’s taken me a week to figure out. I draw so that others might see what I have, and see the beauty that I did. There’s not enough beauty in the world today. Everyone sees the dirt and the grim looks. People are so jaded and tired of what’s around them, but beauty is uplifting. Bringing something pretty into someone’s life is a bit of light in an otherwise dull day. I see it everyday, in everything I look at, but most people don’t. I have to draw, because I have to share. I need to share with people, because the story of how I see is told in these pictures. If people like my drawings, then they may have seen what I saw. If they like my girls, then they like the way I see, and therefore, by extension, me. I create to make other happy, because that’s what makes me feel better about myself. Helping others enjoy life as much as I do. See what I see, feel what I feel.
I can only wonder idly to what degree I’ve succeeded.
