A Mindful Life

Contentment costs little these days. I wish I had the time and energy to begin more ambitious projects (I drool over Leah’s daily output), but I’m also really pleased with what I’m doing this year. Some day, soon enough, I’ll make big messes again.

“Seashells” / 7×10″ sketch paper with ink and watercolor

This is how I sometimes amuse my Little Eclaire in the late afternoon before daddy comes home. She knows and can say the names of all these things except the purple fuzzy creature.

“Doodles To Amuse My Daughter” / 8×10″ sketch paper with crayon

“Happiness” / 7×10″ sketch paper with colored marker

I played with watercolor pencils and watercolor paper today.

“Window Cat” / 6×6″ watercolor paper with watercolor pencil

More circles in my sketch book.

Today’s effort was a random (and ineffective) experiment with watercolor (I so don’t know how to work with watercolor paint). I didn’t have time to really get into something and wasn’t coming up with ideas. This is the kind of creation that may someday be reincarnated into another work, like this one, which also started [...]

Claire and I found a leaf on a walk at Central Park yesterday. It was distinctive, and I thought immediately that I should try drawing it.

“Found Leaf” / 7×10″ sketch paper with colored pencil

This is watercolor paint on sketch paper then drawn with ink. For some reason, lately I find drawing hundreds of tiny circles to be relaxing and meditative. This is how I spent my two hours while the babysitter took care of Claire.

This wasn’t the best day for creativity. I spent the morning at the doctor’s office waiting (much too long) to get a TB skin test. Claire and I will start a parent-participation preschool class next week, and because I’ll be in contact with other kids, they need to know I won’t visit a plague upon [...]