Another key step to redirecting myself was to become a member of Everyday Matters. It is a Yahoo Group that immediately ties you to a host of people just like yourself. People rekindling their sketching habit and finding life in the details therein. The very afternoon of my putting my blog up and notifying the group, I had people from far away places stop and leave a comment. It is a huge encouragement to have that. I am immediately interested in producing art due to that kind of support.

So today is my latest daily sketch. The idea is to let go and just sketch from life. To get into the trenches and get your hands dirty creating something. It is intended to be loose and freeing as opposed to polished fine art.

This is a scene I see every day. It is the Peoria Illinois skyline. I drive to Peoria from podunk Washburn, a small out of the way village, about 40 miles from here. I start my journey in corn and soybean fields and end in a city.

Morning is the best time of the day for me. Everything is new and fresh and unspoiled. No one has had the chance to cast dispersions or create discontent. It is a quiet reflective time for me.

This particular November morning was exceptional due to the vivid sunrise we had. I pulled off the side of the road to quickly snap a picture. In 30 seconds the sun finished its ascent and the sky became a bleak November grey. As an artist I am fortunate in that I can take that fleeting spectacle away with me and enjoy it the rest of the day. I can place it on my drawing table, sketch at it, recreate it, and delve into the tiniest detail of that fraction of time. Many of the drivers on the road with me this morning gave that sunrise a backward glance as they hurried to work, their heads filled with scheduling their day.

This is what I truely love about being an artist. Time stops for me. I can study it and analyze it. I play it over and over like people play a beloved song.

The Start of My Journey of Blogging

For the past few months I have been venturing into the lives of people around the world. Getting a peek at who they are and what they are doing by lurking on their blogs. What an interesting world. Particularly I read artists blogs which is what this blog will focus on.

I find myself metamophising at the age of 42. After 19 years as a Scientific Illustrator for the Department of Agriculture I may become unemployed. My children are getting older and leaving home. My wife is getting more and more involved outside of our home. I suppose it is time for me to re-invent myself and begin again pursuing the dreams I have put on hold for all of these years.

This is a step in that direction. To begin being the artist I am at heart. To follow my interests and be ME.