She's not looking as content as I would have liked, but she is in her safe place. This is my concept drawing for the next painting in my series on "Comfort". Several years ago I was introduced to the idea of having a "safe place" in your imagination so that when times get emotionally hard you can envision yourself there and it can help you de-stress. A chair is not that safe place for me. That kind of safe place is so individual to each of us, that I couldn't begin to visually express it. But I do think that most people have a chair at home that is "theirs". I think for most of us, at the end of a long day, sinking down into that little piece of home can definitely bring a sense of comfort. In this space, I get to be me. In this space, I get to call the shots. In this space, I am safe.
Warm Embrace
This is a charcoal drawing I did as a concept sketch for my next painting. Still working with the idea of Comfort, this piece will be about embracing. Often an embrace is pictured with two people in a hug. But I wanted to capture the idea with just a single figure. When I think of being embraced, enwrapped, cuddled, and snuggled in comfort, I think of a warm, soft blanket. I want her to have a look of appreciation and familiarity more than a relief from fear or struggle. I'm having fun with the charcoals. I'm not spending the time on them that I do with the paints, but just playing with them again is fun!
Steph
I really did have fun with this. I think I'm going to do some more charcoal drawings.
Ghostly Dream
For the past couple of weeks I've been itching to do a charcoal drawing. I've done several in the past and always enjoyed it, although it's not my primary medium. I'm definitely not as good at drawing as I am at painting, but charcoal drawing is definitely my favorite in that medium.
Last night I had a dream that I had done a charcoal drawing. It was so real that when I woke up I wasn't sure if I'd actually done it or not. I decided my subconscious we telling me it was definitely time to do one.
This is not the finished product, but I liked the ghostly surrealism at this stage so I decided to share it. It kind of goes along with the feeling of fall that is in the air.