There and back again

Cape May Lighthouse 2005-2017

There are very few places I can trace memories back to the 1980s, but Cape May, New Jersey is one of those places. It was the family vacation spot for close to 30 years- from 1989 right up into the 2010s. I even got married here in 2010. A seaside resort town, I saw this place grow as I grew up myself. I saw a lot of changes, but the ocean of course never changed. It was always right there.

I never thought it would happen, but I missed a year, then another, then a few more. It’s no longer the routine haunt it once was, but it’ll always hold a special place in my heart, for many reasons.

Just like Cape May, the drawing above has a long and storied history. I say it is “the slowest drawing I have ever done,”even if the drawing was only done in a few days.

In 2005, I was in a printing class in college and, using a screen, cotton, and mashed pulp, we created handmade paper. I took that paper and said “ I should do something special with this.” So I put it in a drawer and forgot about it until 2017. When I found it again, I decided it needed new life as an ink and pastel drawing. Hence it is the only artwork I’ve ever done which took me 12 years to complete.