Basket Case and Broken Sandal
Dear Sarah - Day 74 of our daily drawing exchange
March 15, 2025
Hi Sarah -
How was the ballet?
Not much to report from here - a bit of snow and I've been inside all day, mostly doing paperwork with the occasional break for reading relating to classwork. During a short break I pulled a drawing book off the shelf and tackled the woven basket exercise found therein. I used a soft pencil, so was immediately unhappy. I never would have thought that I'd be a fine-tipped pen kind of person, but there you go.
Fabio just texted from work to say he was planning to head out at 4 AM (!!) tomorrow as he and a friend have plans for a climb that, apparently, requires an early start.
I had been celebrating the fact that I did not need to go into the city today, but now I'm thinking I would have had a better rest in a hotel room rather than being woken by the mad ice climber gathering his gear before the crack of dawn.
So it goes...
Until tomorrow -
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
Great basket! Even though you don't love the soft pencil. I had a plan today to go for a walk on the beach with a friend. It was cloudy in Esquimalt, but not raining. By the time I got to Willows Beach it was a full on downpour. So instead of going to the beach we repaired to a nearby cafe and talked about writing, dance, and the state of the world.
I admired rather than loved the Ballet BC performance last night. The first dance involved what appeared to be climbing harnesses (I have attached a photo). The piece was performed against a very stark background and involved a great many maneuvers that made me very tense. The music was not melodic in the slightest, and many moves evoked pain, anguish, and tension. Women dragged and carried men, men dragged and carried women (the women are STRONG), and it was exhausting to watch. There were two more equally impressive pieces, with two intermissions. A long performance--I don't understand how dancers can do that. Youth, training, commitment....
I meant to pick up something to draw on the beach, but was thwarted by the rain, so I decided to draw a dilapidated faux- Birkenstock sandal I saw on a beach up island a few months ago. I wasn't happy with my ink drawing, so I grabbed a couple of soft pencils and tried again. The curves were very challenging partly because the sandal was very worn. I didn't even begin to draw the small stones it was sitting on.
And once again, it's dinner time (actually past dinner time), so I'll be on my way, hoping for sunny skies tomorrow. Good luck with the early rising mad man!
XO S