“Do you mind,” the artist asked me, “if I draw you?” I was sitting at the counter of my favorite cidery, sipping pomegranate cider and listening to the live jazz being delivered by the Ortwein Jazztet. I declined her request because I am painfully shy… wait, you say? Not me? Yes: Not me. I sat (relatively) still as Jennifer Delgadillo, a talented artist, sketched me.
I am an artist; when asked my specific genre, I will say that I am a graphic designer, though I have not designed anything for anyone other than myself for a long time. My friend Paula Nicewanger, the creative director of this paper, has encouraged me to draw more by gifting me with sketchbooks and art supplies, but I have not been very attentive to the pursuit of honing my skills. My art has been mostly in the crafting of words, but when I come back from a First Friday foray into the studios and galleries of hardworking artists, I am always charged up and ready to create. Then, I sit down and take a nap.
Last year, I saw a post on a social media page that invited artists to join. I did so, advising the administrators that I was looking for inspiration. I participated in some of the events that the Eastside Art Collective organized, one of which was a gathering at 10 Johnson Coffee House in Irvington, where the group designed holiday cards. I was happy with my efforts last Christmas, but the new year did not bring a renewed commitment to making art. When I see the work of the Collective’s leader, Andrea Light, and the creations of Dave Thornburgh and Willey Thompson, I feel as if I am an imposter. But still, I desire. I have a small sketching notebook that complements the notebook that I use for . . . notes, and I am always happy to have Miranda Thomas, an artist and server at my favorite cidery, add to my rough sketches with one of her phantasmagorical graphic creations.
The November 13th meeting of the Eastside Art Collective was sponsored by Frontdoor Home Design, whose co-owner, Barry Key, provided the gathered artists with high-class and tasty hors d’oeuvres. I listened as Dawn Cooper explained to the group the avenues available to us for marketing and sales of our work; Donna Jo Moore added samples of her work and some additional vendor possibilities, while Sharon Cooper discussed the group’s current charity effort to benefit Children’s Bureaus, Inc., a private nonprofit dedicated to helping keep children at risk from entering “the system.” Andrea Light presented some samples of her own work and discussed and rated the vendors with which she had worked to get them produced.
As I wandered through Frontdoor Home Design’s eclectic shop and watched and listened and learned from talented artists as they presented their wares, I walked away hungry to break the art from my iceberg. I thought back to the previous day, the jazzy Tuesday when I sat in the tasting room of a cidery, engrossed in the music being delivered by Mark Ortwein’s sax, John Fell’s guitar and Peter Hansen’s electric bass. In the presence of artful musicianship, I was granted the opportunity to be the subject of another artist’s practice, with the benefit to me of the gift of a sketch from Jennifer Delgadillo. As she sketched me, I opened my own journal, took out my pen and sketched myself, having taken inspiration from her drawing to do my own.
I am an artist, and I will draw again.
cjon3acd@att.net