At the stationary shop the next day, Albert couldn’t keep his mind on his work. Customers who came in looking for pencils and specialty pen sets left the store frustrated after Albert murmured incoherently in response to their questions.

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05.13.2021

When I look at this illustration and consider Albert, the overwhelming sense I get is that he is lost in a desert. He is bewildered, distracted, and his mind is mishandling the here and now as he entertains visions of his pie waiting at home. Even though he’s holding a box of pencils in his shop, in his current mental state, I could have just as easily plopped him down, wandering in the midst of a vast, sandy expanse.

This intersection of an illustration and thoughts of the desert brings to mind the first drawing I can ever remember making. It was a scene of an oasis in the desert that I drew on our old computer when I was in elementary school. I remember moving the mouse cursor carefully around the screen as I selected the color beige and made the rough shape of a camel or two. I selected an electric green and made the drooping leaves of a palm tree. I imagine there were men in robes and bright blue water as well. I remember it seeming amazing that I could fill pixels with colors and make an image that corresponded to  an image in my mind. Drawing is still such a satisfying and often thrilling process for me, though I am glad to not be making too many drawings with the computer mouse these days.