Sketching, Illustration, Design and Everyday Life.
Copyright by © Nina Khashchina except where noted.
November happened super fast! There was a lot of daily sketching between many projects most of which I cannot share (for various reasons). Still, there is an exciting adventure ahead of me - and a hint of what I will be using on this adventure can be found in what's on my table on the first day of December!
It's been one complicated year! One of my Thanksgiving traditions is to start wrapping up projects and write lists - lists of gratitude, lists of dreams, lists of plans, lists of what worked and what did not this year. I will continue this throughout the end of the year as it is a lengthy project for a planning maniac like me :) But one important thing that already came out of this "pause and regroup" is I cleaned my sketchkit (actually several that blended into one), streamlined it, and while I took some lovely walks, I collected some treasures and drew - in pockets of time, in pocket sketchbooks, with my pocket kits.
It was Monday and I was planning to do a lot of work. There was A LOT of noise. The rain did not stop anyone. Lively conversation in between the sounds of power tools with some words that I could recognize. No work was happening on my side of the window. Solution? Draw the wonderful mayhem that everyday life is :)
The only way to figure some things out is to draw some flowers while you are thinking about them :)
This week we celebrated my Mom's 84th birthday (Happy birthday, Mom!), and this week is exactly one year since she and my Dad arrived in the USA as Ukrainian Refugees. A few days ago also marked ONE THOUSAND DAYS since the first bombs fell on the city where my parents lived their whole life (Kharkiv, Ukraine) and a full-scale invasion of russian forces began. It was a week filled with many memories and emotions. But also lots of little things that make up the magic of everyday life. It is a perfect time to give you an update on my parents.
My Mom underwent a cataract removal surgery and will soon own a new pair of glasses! Her experience with the medical system was not without some glitches yet her optimism prevailed over everything! She tried to speak to all the medical personnel in English, read all the signs in every room we went in, asked a thousand questions about everything, and enjoyed me sketching through all the adventures. She even participated in an online drawing event from an operation waiting room! She is working through my library of art history books and biographies and enjoys taking photos of all sorts of animal and plant life to discuss with me. She regularly talks to her friends and family who are dispersed around the world, many refugees like she is - and tries to find a good topic with each one - to stay in touch and keep the connection going despite some differences in worldviews. However there are some things she is not willing to compromise on - the idea of supporting putin is a hard no.
My Dad continues his lifelong experimentation with mixing things - his drinks often contain something unusual (when was the last time you put cayenne pepper and peeled grapes in your coffee?) and he is making lots of salads that are truly an inspiration in color if not in taste! His knees and shoulders had a nice reprieve during summer when he enjoyed swimming but the season is over and we are trying to find him alternative ways to gently work arthritic joints. His interest in finding things and making things out of stuff he finds resulted in a large art installation on their patio (see photos below). There are bottles, frying pans, flowers, cups, plates, toys, pens, unidentified objects, a little mural we made, and Ukrainian flags. A daily war with the squirrel population guarantees that something will be broken or moved in the morning which means that he works on this wall of wonders every day. He plays chess daily and is responsible for keeping a strict schedule of not watching war news before breakfast and after dinner.
They met some people on the street and are developing some new relationships. Now that they are vaccinated I hope to introduce some more interaction with people and outings to places. They miss their home, the life that they understood, their city, and the country they love. But they speak less about all of it these days - I think because they are trying to not worry me too much. It is a wonderful thing to witness their resilient spirit and utmost care for their family.
