I notice I had a hard time figuring out how big to make the nose. Look at all those extra lines. It's like the shape kept growing more and more bulbous. I could have tried to photoshop out all those mistakes. (Isn't it odd how photoshop is now a verb? I don't even have Photoshop anymore. It's like xeroxing on a Konica. Or putting Kleenex on your shopping list when you always buy Kroger's generic not-so-soft.)
This drawing reminds me of a show I saw on PBS about a newly discovered Leonardo da Vinci painting. A stylish gal narrated the story of how the painting was authenticated. She spent a lot of time walking around Milan and Paris. I wish they had spent more time filming the art and less time filming her strutting the cobblestone streets in her tight lemon yellow dress. Despite her apparent role as a fashion plate, she was impressively fluent in Italian and French. Anyway, whatever, the point is, they authenticated the painting by infrared light, which showed that the painter had changed his mind about the position of a thumb. First he painted it bending one way. Then he painted it bending another and covered up the older version with layers of paint, something a copy cat artist would never do. That is one compelling reason for believing the painting was an original da Vinci. All this to say, the drawing you see here is untouched. It's authentic. I have integrity: I leave my mistakes for the world to see.
I saw another show on PBS, possibly the same night. I don't remember, because the second show scared the bejesus out of me. I forgot all about the new da Vinci painting until my drawing reminded me just now. Who cares about art when the world's most deadliest volcano is about to erupt! Yep, I'm talking about Katla in Iceland. Holy moly. We are so screwed. That is what I kept saying to my cat as I watched the story unfold, getting more and more terrified. Who cares about art, even a new da Vinci? Who cares about dissertations? When Katla blows, none of that will matter. We should be heading south now. Argh. We are so screwed.
Iceland has many volcanoes. Some are scarier than others. The scientists on the show introduced Laki, followed by Hekla, and then Katla, all of which are worse than the one with the impossible name that erupted a couple years ago. We are talking a mile-high plume of ash blocking out the sun in the northern hemisphere for a year, covering the ground with 15 feet of inert non-fertile material, and coating the land (and your lungs) with sulfuric acid. And like a cranky possibly pregnant teenager, Katla is late.
I thought the earthquake off the Oregon coast was going to be the Big One, but Katla makes our imminent rumble look like a re-run of Dancing with the Stars. Ho hum. Our local disaster will be over in five minutes. Sure, we'll be picking up the pieces for a while, but when Katla erupts, the potential damage will be widespread and long lived. Of course, it all depends on how high the plume goes and how much material is emitted. Maybe it won't be so bad. Yeah, maybe it will be a walk in the park on a slightly rainy day. Annoying but not a catastrophe.
Well, you can imagine, a story like this gets the Chronic Malcontent amped beyond all reason. Yes! Another excuse to claim every worthwhile pursuit is pointlessly doomed. Yay. Now can I retire to that adobe hut in the desert? (I can practically hear you say, What's stopping you?)
Wow, who knew all this verbiage would be inspired from this one drawing?
