Walking Life

I recently read the book Wanderlust : A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit. 

On the last page she spoke about walking as a constellation within the starry sky of human culture, the path we keep exploring that connects the body - the imagination - and the wide open world. 

This three part image lived in me, moving around inside. I felt each element and their relationship to each other. I began to create . . . 

(expand the images with the cursor and your fingers) 

 

THE BODY

A contour drawing of my hand, not looking at the page so that my eye could follow the shapes and the pencil on the page could follow my eye, touching, sensing, breathing, feeling. 

 

THE IMAGINATION

I have been drawing circles in my sketchbook these days and letting images emerge in response to this perfect form. I also like to work in threes. I drew lines curving below, then moving up and sparks rising beyond the circle. I added color - no Photoshop going on here - the touch of pencil and pen and brush on paper. Something arising - releasing. . .

 

THE WIDE OPEN WORLD

Hill lines brushed in a moment. 

 

All three together - 

 

The Constellation. 

Human life as a starry sky. We make meaning of these stars and our lives by walking the connections again and again. 

 Thank you Rebecca Solnit for activating this exploration.