As a child, I loved to draw. According to my mom, I showed talent at an early age. (But then, doesn’t every mother think her child’s first drawing is a masterpiece?) I continued to draw and paint, taking art classes well into my teen years.

 

Alas, I abandoned drawing and painting for most of my adulthood. Then early in 2013, I attended a social event called “Drink and Draw” in Portland, Oregon, at a friend’s home, where we were instructed to draw a still life using pastels while sipping wine and savoring delectable food. The event was so inspirational that I decided to host the next drawing event at my home; instead of still life and pastels (too messy), I chose pencil portraits as the focus of our lesson. My selected piece for the lesson was a photograph of my handsome, late father taken when he was only 21 years old in the US Coast Guard.  I’d never attempted to draw the human face other than when doodling and it came as a delightful surprise when I discovered that I not only loved drawing my father’s young face, but that my latent drawing abilities came back to me quickly, much like riding a bicycle.

 

Since that one Drink and Draw lesson, I have immersed myself in learning how to draw, creating portraits of both pets and people using graphite or charcoal. For me, the study of each feature on a face – be it a dog, a cat, a bird, a baby or an adult -- is endlessly fascinating and absorbing. The subtlety of shape, the power of shadows, the intricacies of texture and the expression of lines captivates me as I attempt to bring them together in a way that authentically reflects the essence and personality of each subject.