Grouse on a pine
13 x 18 cm
Graphite pencil, Fabriano paper
2024
Recent drawing reminded me that I had seen this somewhere before - an experience I had witnessed six years ago on a bog in Palestovsky Nature Reserve during a birdwatching field course study. It was the first time I had seen grouse perched on a tree like this, and it was far in the distance with crisp air between us right before they flew away. After reconstructing this memory, I saw the same scene again in my dream. Then, another vivid memory emerged, not visual this time, but acoustic: listening to the long-distance call of grouse, their rookooing while my eyes are still closed in an early cold morning. The cold, both real and imagined, has left an indelible mark on my mind, on my drawings. Could I ever imagine a radiant sun? While some may prefer the warmth, I prefer the cold mornings, before anyone starts to exist.
