Tiny Life

I sat by the corner of Davie/Howe in downtown Vancouver to draw some tiny people.

It was a sunny afternoon, and a lot of busy life crossed paths with other busy life. One thing that strikes you about life is that it’s always trying to get to somewhere else. Rarely do you see it satisfied to simply exist, or content with its place in the world. It is always one thing or another, always restless.

Since this can make for difficult drawing, I turn the lights red. This makes the train of people halts in their tracks. I am able to buy 10 or 15 seconds this way. Life responds in different, interesting ways to this break in rhythm.

Some life is bewildered, and looks from left to right. This life has been woken out of a deep trance. It does not know fully comprehend what is happening.

Some life is just peeved, not bewildered. It taps its feet until the light changes again. This life is used to such happenings. It will cooperate, but without enthusiasm.

Then there is the third form of life. This life is not affected at all. It is nonchalant. It is off the grid. It’s zen. Chill. Sometimes it laughs. Softly. But otherwise it stays quite still, doing what it is doing, waiting for its turn.

I want to say this third form of life is my favorite to draw, but that would not be true. All life is good to draw. All life is equally capable of exhibiting SneakyArt.

This double-spread in my sketchbook is an image of tiny slices of space-time taken from lots of different life-forms. It is recorded forever in these pages. What would happen if I made a print of this drawing? Does that … create more life?

Find out, by ordering a print of this drawing in my shop. :)