Jumping out of the frame

 The thinking boy

Charcoal on bond paper

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2010

Sometimes the feeling I get when I look at
a photo I decide to work on is so overwhelming,
that the picture almost leaps into life.  Memory
is a strange muse, but one I enjoy.  This drawing
was done from a beautiful portrait of a young
relative thinking very seriously.  I love his face
and his hair, and noticed as I was taking this
shot that the snapshot edge I drew for a graphic
line, doesn't extend the full length of the image.
Symbolically it makes sense.  He's just too
wonderful to fit the frame.

It's a beautiful night, and the brilliant lights
Steven put on the backyard apple tree are
probably keeping the neighbours awake.
But it's ten below zero and no one is going to
go out to unplug them tonight.

 A Christmas apple tree

A few years back, before the Iraq War, we were asked
to put lights on our porch and leave them on
to let the world know we wanted peace.  Later that
year I was so sick that I almost died, and when I recovered
we left them on to symbolize both hope and peace.  I'm sure
the neighbours thought we were nuts, but we knew
our inner meaning.  These lights on the apple tree
remind me of that time, and make me feel ridiculously
joyful. 

Have a taking-joyful-action day.