p e n c h a n t

one: to repel flies while working in the garden, tie lemon balm in your hair or rub it into your skin. I do this frequently, because I don’t like commercial sprays, and the buzzing and biting of flies is annoying

two: when creating a work of art, capture the essence of the idea or the subject, then stop—in this case, the greenery in the hair. to continue on to complete the face would have been fine, but it also would have changed the focus. once the art becomes more developed, it’s easy to forget the original inspiration. if I had gone on to create a full painting, I would have put the lower portion of the face in shadow

this is a visual journal sketch, drawn quickly because the garden was calling
ballpoint pen & acrylic on paper

“Athena and Odysseus” For Tales from the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne

acrylic with oil wash on rag board