roadside finds

"The physicality and silence of drawing served over the years to restore 
focus or bring comfort in difficult times"

...Roger Lipsey in Angelic Mistakes: The Art of Thomas Merton

Drawing is a large part of my life. My sketches are not monumental pieces and some embarrass me and almost convince that I don't have a bit of skill after all these years. But I keep returning to a page each morning and after drawing something especially ordinary, life is better and the day is started properly. After reading and finding a place of internal quiet, I go on a five mile walk.

It's easy to notice the lovelies--the tree bark, the wild turkey, the flowers, the seed pods, but about two months ago I started noticing the discarded man-made stuff on the shoulders of the roads. The first morning I stuffed two pockets with my treasures and almost every day I bring something back and put it in the growing collection on my desk. I wonder about many of the pieces...their history and why they landed where they did but mostly I am taken with finding beauty in unexpected places.