The next day, she was sitting on the couch taking a nap, so I sketched her again.
I brought the sketchbook to lunch in her dining room. The scene in front of me had so many patterns and textures I was dizzy. As I was sketching, I noticed no one at this table was talking to one another. Aging is not pretty.
One of my highlights at lunch was Carl... dirty old man! Flirting with me. Next time I hope to get his face and the twinkle in his eyes.
Susan, even with your sensitive line, these drawings are so powerful. You will be glad to have them, whatever the reason that brought you to make them.
ReplyDeleteThank you Melanie. I appreciate the visit and comment. Drawing certainly helped the passage of time and the realities of the situation.
DeleteI love how you were able to capture your visit there....as hard as it was to watch and worry about her before and after the procedure. The sketches at her assisted living are so great. They show the realities of life but in a respectful, loving way. Nicely captured!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joan. My mothers meal mates are more talkative, but we had to move to another table since there wasn't enough room for me. I would like to capture more stories on my next visit.
DeleteI was really touched by the pictures of your mother. I think some things are hard to see and sketching helps us to accept and see things as the really are. It's a slow intimate look. Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark. I know this may be hard to believe, but it was much easier for me to sketch this than to talk about it. These personal moments are hard for me to verbalize.
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