Sister Project

Candle holder, pencil on sketch paper. ©Krista Simurdak

Right wing primary feather, pencil, watercolor, gouache, and Sakura Pegma pen on previously painted Strathmore Mixed Media paper. ©Lisa M. Harkins

Another week of healing.  Krista says, “I was thinking about how I was having a good time doing the drawing, music loud, when 2 weeks ago I was sad and depressed. Acceptance does come from starting new things. Weird, I wouldn’t be drawing at all if I hadn’t been so sad and had to make changes. It’s about turning the moment around.”

I find it interesting how our choices of subject matter seem to reflect who we are.  Krista lives in the West Bottoms of Kansas City, MO – a wonderful environment of tumble-down industrial buildings and architecture piled up to the horizon.  In her art and photography, she favors architectural and sharp forms, and she has an abstract style.  In contrast, I live on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest, and I tend to lean towards natural and organic forms in my art and textile work.  I think next week, I will choose something outside of my comfort zone.

Oddly, having this deal with my sister seems to have made it easier to focus on my own work.  I’m still raising a family, and I still find a million reasons to procrastinate and not be in my studio.  These little drawings, just before a weekend, make me anxious to keep going.  I did not expect that side effect.

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