I decided to name my most recent art piece “Idlewild”. I’ve been reading “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” by John Koenig…which I’ll write about in another post if I ever finish. Nonetheless, this is how the author defined idlewild:

“ (Adj.) Feeling grateful to be stranded in a place where you can’t do much of anything—sitting for hours at an airport gate, the sleeper car of a train, or the backseat of a van on a long road trip—which temporarily alleviates the burden of being able to do anything at any time and frees up your brain to do whatever it wants to do, even if it’s just to flicker your eyes across the passing landscape.”

I used to have more “idlewild” time. During that time, I was able to zone out and draw when the world was quiet. Sometimes, I’m able to draw during bus or plane rides but people get inquisitive which generally makes me feel conscious or distracted.

As a mom, there aren’t many quiet private moments. However, of recent, I started something called “Quiet Hour” with my son. We put on music and do art. The ability to do something we both love, at the same time, feels like spring for the soul….an evolution. ☺️ I was pleasantly surprised at how effective and productive we were. During the holiday block - Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year - I was finally able to make substantial progress on this piece that was sitting unattended for almost a year.

My drawings need to stem from my subconscious in order to get into the flow. Idlewild as a title is fitting because I had the mental freedom and even with distractions, I was able to find my way back.