Contemplative views from two windows

[By James Hobbs in London] My father has been unwell, and my journeys out of London to the Midlands town where he lives close to my brother have been more frequent. After taking a Parkinson’s-induced tumble last week, and spending a night in hospital, he returned to his flat and slept things off, and gradually resumed his default cheerful disposition.

His flat in a retirement complex looks over a pond and trees that are frequented by a succession of garden birds: blackbirds, great tits, blue tits, finches, magpies, assorted ducks and moorhens, among unidentified others. While he slept, I watched and drew the scene, and contemplated on his advancing years and great family times over the decades, as budding signs of spring unfurled outside.

The theme of contemplative drawing looking out of windows continued on the train journey back to London a few days later. I’ve written on my blog about why I enjoy drawing the fleeting views from train windows: it’s a succession of one-second poses, there’s no time to be tight or be bothered with details, it is continually episodic, and yet there’s the chance to explore the character of a region along the lines. To be honest, though, what I was really thinking about while I drew was my Dad, and making marks that capture a particular time and place that are entwined with him.