A Line of Trees

This is one of those pictures that is not very pretty, but that has a quality that I like. There is the bleak line of leafless trees in Eastern North Dakota, near several refuges for migratory wildfowl. There are the heavy moisture-laden autumn clouds. I like the way the light comes down on the left side of the photo. I like the layers of muted color. The glimpse of passenger-side rear view mirror shows where I am. There is as well, the gold of a cultivated field and beyond that, a darker field where Black Angus are grazing. I don't know what the State Animal of North Dakota is, but I could nominate the Black Angus. My uncle Windy used to raise them as a sideline on an old farm near Pittsfield, Massachusetts. My Aunt Dorothy was responsible for getting them back into the field if they broke out while Uncle Windy was at work. She sipped delicately at a teacup when I took my new husband to meet her and called the creatures Black Bastards. This delicate turn of phrase has become a bit of our family folklore. We never call them Angus any more.

I know I said I was through posting Auto Journey Pictures, but I guess I hadn't quite finished. I got some out to sketch tonight since my new resolution (two days old) to make a daily sketch (or quit buying art materials?) hasn't yet quite taken hold. I think I am afraid that the sketches won't be "any good," even though I know that doesn't matter.

Here is what the artist who was my teacher on trips to Bali and to the Cyclades
says in his Pocket Drawing Book.

"Drawing is a peaceful, energizing act. 
It will constantly challenge you to be free, 
good-humored, spontaneous, and creative. 
It is like a game or a journey. 
Through drawing, you get to know new people, 
see new places, and understand yourself better. 
Drawing allows you to express what you see and feel."

***Robert Regis Dvorak, The Pocket Drawing Book, page15.


We did take a walk today and went twice as far as yesterday's first walk. Goodnight kisses!