This drawing was started exactly a month ago. It was put on the back burner while I pursued a different project, getting myself a new hip. The hip is slowly healing – a miracle of modern medicine and Mother Nature that is humbling and awe inspiring.

Throughout I’ve been surrounded by my loving children, two of which flew many, many miles to help out their old mom in her time of need. Being the one who is more accustomed to being the driver, the wellness cheerleader, the ice pack getter, the “did you do your exercises” reminder, I must say they did a wonderful job each in their own unique way and at different stages of my recovery. Now, like a fledgling kicked out of the nest I am left to my own devices and, of course, that brought me back into the studio.

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I purposely left the transposition of this piece from paper to canvas until now because I was afraid I might have forgotten what all those marks meant from way back when I put them down. Even so, now I’m wondering if the detail will confuse me or help me. The old saws “you can’t win for losing" and "time will tell” come to mind.

In the meanwhile, I’ll plod along, likely at even more of snail’s pace than usual, to get it done. I’m thinking about studio time like my physical therapy exercises, little chunks of effort that serve to get me to where I want to be: wellness in body and spirit with a big dose of accomplishment on the side.

Image: Nasturtium #4 (working title) drawing © Lissa Banks 2022