30/03/24 I wanted to play around with capturing the hair of this person and making her a dress using paper from a vintage dress pattern. Her expression was also inspiring (a fashion clipping from my files). The paper in my sketchbook is a mixed media paper on which I apply a layer of gesso. It provides a smoother surface than the Arches paper, and I tend to work quickly and more playfully.

As I fluffed around in her hair, I was reminded of Bette Davis and how I used to be fascinated by her when I was young. This brought on a Google session where I came across a newspaper clipping from Hollywood during her divorce, quoting her husband: “She read too much”. Ha.

I grew up in an era when that was definitely a negative. Bookworm, eye glasses, introvert…ugh. Libraries and bookstores were a refuge. When I returned to school as a mature adult to salvage my highschool dropout status, I took a program in library and information management. I’m lucky to have a job where I work with book donations every day, including vintage and collectible books. They are my partners in crime in all the art I currently produce.

And yet…I’ve also been trying to reduce my book collection. It’s interesting how the books I love best are ones attached to strong memories of the time I read them, the moment in my life where we crossed paths.

Playing with words is as much of an art material to me as are the pencils and paints.