Monday, June 26, 2006

I have been pre-occupied with sketching a series of homeless people from pictures I find on the net. What a contrast this is from the sketches I make of my daughter. I look at their faces and wonder what their lives were like, what they looked like before life on the street branded itself on their faces.

Their eyes are hauntingly expressive. Some of them silently express a sad and deeply profound wisdom. In some pictures you can see an impish mischieviousness playing about their faces.

Sometimes, insanity.

Even the eyes that stare out vacantly--they speak volumes and volumes...emptiness, hopelessness and desolation. They no longer just live on the streets; they have "become" the streets.

Sometimes I sketch only the eyes because it seems that to sketch more would be too much...the eyes have said it all.

These are the faces that make us uncomfortable. Their existence has become a silent scream we cannot help but feel if we only look. These are the people we see and quickly avert our eyes from because............

Their stories are carved out in their faces like some terrible work of art. And so I sketch them. Posted by Picasa

10 comments:

Trée said...

Oliviah, thanks for the reminder to count my blessings and keep the little problems I have in perspective. I think you have a way with words as much as with fractals. Thoughtful and compassionate post.

Hugs and kisses.

Dzeni said...

This sounds like a great project! Perhaps we will see some of the sketches on your blog??

Dead man walking said...

What an interesting project to take on. It is fascinating that these people you are sketching probably do not have any other legacy other than your artwork, and they may never even know that it was important to you..

Oliviah said...

trée, thank you sweet man. Big hugs to you & a mid-day smooch!

dzeni, my scanner is broken, hopefully I can get it fixed or get a new one and I will post some.

shane, I thought the same thing of the photographers when I was looking at the photographs I found on the net that I am sketching these from. It is nice to have you visit my blog. :)

Smiles said...

Lao Tze said, 'the eyes are the windows of the soul. Between the two windows is the main door to divinity. Enter the main door to discover the inner divine nature'.

Dead man walking said...

A pleasure to be here :)

Oliviah said...

What a great quote sherri!

Evydense said...

Hmmmmmm......I could have sworn I left a comment here yesterday....oh well. It was the same points that Dzeni and Shane made. Will you be sharing them, and the concept that we all feed off each other, even the homeless (ok, not the right choice of words there, is it...I hope you know what I mean!!)

KSHIPPYCHIC said...

Oh I hope you can get a new scanner soon! I would love to see those!! This one reminds me of spagghetti oh's!! :)

Anonymous said...

incredible work once more... i could stare at this for hours, immersed in thoughts and dreams

what a beauty!

i'd love to see your scetch work :0

love
sd