Farewell to That Which You Wish You Knew

I wonder (and this is not the first time) if there is a word that denotes a sort of blend of regret and nostalgia, when you're missing something that was part of a life you've left behind but you miss it because you didn't know it that well, and now that it's gone you wish you'd gotten to know it better. That feeling, whatever we may come to call it, shows up sometimes when I find myself thinking of some older lady or gent who passed away when I was a kid, and I wish they were still around, 'cause I'd have like to talk to them. It's a funny feeling, and it hit me again this morning. An old hotel in my hometown burned to the ground last night, and as I read the numerous wall posts and statuses about the fire one in particular jumped out at me. One of my old art teachers had written a sort of goodbye to the building. She'd spent hours painting the historical facade, evening with friends in the pub downstairs...she loved that old building. And I found myself wishing I'd known it too. I grew up in that town, spent 18 years of my life there, and never once set foot inside that old hotel. I guess I'll never get that chance. Sounds like a country song...

What does an illustrator with a song stuck in his head do? Draws it. Obviously. I was walking around three days ago with "Never Got Off the Ground" by Allison Krauss running through my mind, and when I couldn't take it any more (the song is too beautiful, it was driving me mad) I walked into the nearest Timmy's, sat down, and started sketching. It's not much, and it's definitely not perfect, but it's something.

We All Dream When We're Younger...

I've found myself rediscovering drawing these last few days. Being a working man over the summer doesn't leave me with much energy or time left over for me to sit down with my sketchbook, but with school back in full swing the creative juices are flowing again. I'm sure I'm not the only artist who feels this at times: every once in a while I find myself at a point where art feels too much like work, and I worry that I'll lose the joy it gives me. Three weeks later I pick up a pencil or a brush or a pen again and realize...this is just way too much fun. That passion never dies.

That said, there's also a point at which one must buckle down and get a lot of stuff down on paper for a deadline. In fact, I should probably be in the studio doing that instead of typing this. The three biggest distractions for me currently: J.J. Abrams' Fringe, Batman: Arkham City, and comics. My free time is two-thirds Batman...hence the fact that I'm going to sign off right now and head to the studio, where I have work to do on a very Batman-related bit of screenprinting. I'll leave you with that. Cheers!