Radius: A Sketchbook Project Preview

I went over to Lorain County Community College where the Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery is, along with several of my sketchbooks. That red splotch on the column just inside the door? That's a drawing of some of our garden tomatoes from this summer. And the rest of my work is to the right on the wall directly behind that column.

Karen Sandstrom at Pen In Hand helped organize the show and did a fantastic job. It's set up like a library or small book store, so you can grab a book, settle down on a stool or even in a comfy chair and look through it at your leisure. I did just that for about an hour, along with several other patrons who walked through the gallery.

I've had my work in other shows, but this is different. These are ... well ... gulp ... personal.

Obviously.

I don't just draw in them. I talk about my kids, family and dog. I let loose my sarcastic, cynical side and even occasionally vent, whine and rage. And I don't really post every single stinking page. Still, I'm more proud of this work than anything else I do because it is personal. That's me on those pages – good, bad and ugly – in all my unretouched glory.