Here’s where I am on Roots. As you can see, I’m working in the details using small squares. To do that I cut small squares out of paper (masks) and place them around an area to draw. Masks keep me focused on one area at a time so I can get all the tiny little details in the right place. I probably won’t use the masks to draw the borders of this drawing because I want to invent various shapes and shadings as I create it.
I found this drawing when the leaves were still around and I felt a call to look for a representation of “sanctuary.” I wandered around and took several photos but didn’t feel as though I’d caught the feeling in any of them. Then, just as I gave up, this tree with her roots exposed seemed like the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. As soon as I gave up my rational and systematic search for a scene that expressed an emotion, I found what I was really looking for.
This tree’s roots are embracing those leaves, and there’s a lovely bare spot to sit snuggled up to her trunk right between them, if you are a small creature.
