And then things turned a bit more strange. Not sure if my attention span shortened, or if I spent more time in the underground trains and none in the elevated lines, it could have also been that I just took shorter trips. The drawings began to turn into tiny families of short ideas. There seem to be 15 little drawings on this page alone. I know this might look as if I really focused on what I have done here, but there are some pages that will follow and in the coming books that just contain so many tiny images, that the only way to somehow be able to discuss them was to number them. So you can either look at the image below, or open a Numbered version. Hmm, what are these things?
1) Seems to be a sleeper inside of a subway window. The windows in the subway trains have these rounded corners, just as planes have. This helps them distribute pressure much better. Ideally the windows would be round, I guess... hmm, round windows on a subway.
2) Probably a peeking reflection in subway doors. The glass in the subway has the ability to age the person reflected by about 20 years. Really. Especially between stations.
3) A dog with short back legs. Hmm.
4) Little notes, ready for little notes. I do have a collection of post-its somewhere. I like especially those that contain little reminders or commands. "See me in my office." "This is the memo you requested" Incredibly compact information. I spoke to the people at 3M about the glue on these things... Fascinating.
5) Hmm, a little car with tiny wheels and a large tree... (decorated...)
6) A Worm?
7) A little noseless alien boy on his tiny planet. Yes, I know, I know... I know.
8) Not sure.
9) A seven eyed monster with seven legs happy to see you again. There is a very special story about the seven eyed monster, and 777 trees and me being a wizard. A true story, who would have thought. I will need to tell it some other time. (No, I am not a wizard, it is a long story.)
10) a three eared cat. (She is the seven eyed monster’s friend.)
11) a dog, which happened to walk half way through the magnification line. (The line can be drawn in any moleskine book, by just putting the attached rubberband there and drawing the special line on the right page.)
12) a conversation about a layout, I think.
13) this must be a moomin. see the M?
14) the view out of a train window, is it?, maybe, could it be?
15) this young man is strange, I do not know him, he just came by to complete the page. How strange.
I do not think I should be posting these drawings this late at night. I must seem completely out of my mind. The drawings are strange, but the descriptions? Am I taking away the joy of guessing? Am I turning myself inside out? Is this the wrong kind of creative exhibitionism?
I actually find it very amusing to post an entire book, with all its boring and all its quirky pages. I find it also funny how I quickly these drawings become their own little beings. They are my drawings, and I am too close to them to give a proper description of them here and now, but at the same time, they are separated from me by enough time to see them as their own little beginnings of things. I think this is also the reason why I draw the way I draw on these pages. These tiny drawings are the beginnings of ideas. Some of the ideas come back immediately, some return after months, some after years. Some of the ideas are the beginnings of stories, some just need to get out onto paper to make room for something that is new.
Good night.
I love them all. And I completely understood all your nonesense blabble so it must of made some sense. But I agree about the late night postings. Sometimes I do it too. I just get talking and I talk and talk and talk. Sometimes I don't know when to be quiet. I think this is one of those times.
: ) thank you, Ducky.
(and I am quite glad that you were not quiet.)
I am feeling inspired again, to take out my pen and book and let my own little stories come out. I realized reading your blog and looking at your images that it has been six years of silence. That is enough cocooning, I think. Thank you.
Fantastic Witold! And keep warm, I see it is snowing again!!
wow, this is really cool. there's so much I can save some for later and keep checking back all day. like sneaking a comic book into work.
thanks!
Hey, that IS a Moomin!! Those are still my favorite books of all time........and perfect for a snowy day like today.
Also, I'm pretty sure that #8 is sniffing #6, which is a little odd. Are you sure that's a worm?
For a couple of years I collected lost, dropped or disgarded shopping lists. I was gathering them with ferver... a collection of things other people didn't want to forget... things somehow important... to others. The papers were always wrinkled... a bit dirty, craps of magazine pages, envelopes, etc... and I had hoped to use them all in an installation- but the idea fizzled out... and I moved to the west indies for a year of body surfing. somehow the lists were lost in transit. I hope someone else discovered them with as much enthusiasm as I had while collecting. remindeds me of the post its.
What a happy, happy day.
Yes Anna, it IS a Moomin. And they are my absolute favorite children?s books. Tove Jansson was not only a great storyteller she was also an excellent illustrator. Really inspiring. Do you think 8 is sniffing 6?... hmm... you might be right... ; )
Vikki, show us the shopping lists. I would really like to see them. Are they your shopping lists, or just shopping lists?
I think I still have a box with yellow credit card slips from when the merchands had to swipe the cards through mechanical contraptions and then send in the paper work. It was quite depressing what amounts of money I spent back then. Things are much better now. (not really...)
numba 3 looks to me like the hind legs are smaller because you were doodling the dog from a certain perspective...
numba 7 is da king o' chocolate chip cookies... why do you think he's so happy?
numba 10 is a kitty with a mohawk n' a black eye... who looks to be a little wary of numba 11, the dog.
hmmmmmmmmmmmm... you don't need to explain things all the time... sometimes it's best to let the viewer draw their own conclusions and take away from the experience what they will... and even if they don't attach anything to your drawings, it's still nice to appreciate it for what it is.
i like numba 8, the guy with the big schnauzer... heeeheeeeeeee... he looks like a pleasant chap.
Hi Witold-
I wish I had saved those lists in a very safe place... it was in the late 80's... i was living in Boston at the time... and everytime I went shopping for groceries i would always find lists- apples, kotex, pizza, beans... etc etc... These lists we not my own. I never had enough cash to actually make out a list of what I might like to purchase... but the fact that others did- amazed me. Just a list of odd items which meant nothing to me- but sometimes told stories- party planning... a tea, big dinner... some were even in other languages. I would always pick up these- from the bottom of buggies- left behind... and I had boxes of them... over the years- boxes and boxes. And even had someof my favorite ones handy to show friends... ingrediants that put together might create a toxic mix of suffle' or something just as absurd. It was a great collection... and when I moved to the caribbean those boxes got lost- along with many other things- paintings, sketchbooks, etc. I have considered collecting the lists again- but now I live in the american south- in a wealthy area where folks don't need lists- where they can waltz into any gourmet market and take anything that pleases their eyes... no lists here. :( wish I did have them... I would send them on to you. Something tells me you would find as much interests as I did.