When this website was new, I used to try to post to the blog once a week. I made blog-specific content, my rule was I couldn’t spend more than a day on it, though it often took me the whole day. I loved doing that. It gave me the chance to work on short-term projects, to try out new things. But a full day each week became a lot after a while. Still, I like to take breaks from longer project and make one-offs, experiment a little. Recently, this has taken the form of making drawings that move. Sort of like pop-up books, but for the wall.

The above drawing is one of a series that I call my Tabletop Jukebox Meditation Kiosk. Illustrations of ideas that are helpful to me to remember. It has been a lot of fun imagining how to make these ideas visual. I have them on a wall of my studio. Little reminders.

The “drawing” below came from a little drawing I did in my notebook one morning while drinking coffee and waking up. It was in February. Windy and cold outside. The treetops swayed, well, I wouldn’t say violently, but . . . with gusto? To make the bigger drawing, I used a technique I had found online to make ocean waves seem to go up and down. This piece is currently part of an exhibit, “American Tree,” at the Glen Arbor Art Center in Glen Arbor, Michigan. If you are in the neighborhood, you can see this one (along with some pretty wonderful pieces) in person, and make the trees wave back and forth for yourself.

In other news, I’ve been working on a novel, and I am very nearly through the first draft. I’m at the very fun part where I put a character in a situation and wait to see what they do. It’s a blast. They always surprise me a little.

xo, lrp