THESE SKETCHES are part of a series drawn on Tumamoc on a small pad I can hold in one hand. The actual size of the image below is 5” x 3.5.” I used a cheap ballpoint pen I found somewhere. Ballpoint pens are useful in the field; you can get a broad range of tones from one tool, and the ink dries quickly without smearing.
The first drawing below is still life, something I don’t often do. I laid two barrel cactus fruits, both eaten out by animals, next to a small mesquite twig. I like the fruits for their topknots, and because the rodents dissected out the fruit interiors, giving me a look inside. The small black specks are some of the few seeds they didn’t eat. The twig is a fragment as well, but you can see a pattern of growth and life in it too.
–Barbara Terkanian
These are super! Amazing what an artist can do with a ball point pen. Thanks for sharing!
These images are lovely. I learn a lot about drawing just by studying them. Barbara, I was at the first class March 7 at Tumamoc and met you when you greeted me so warmly and showed me some of your drawings in your tiny notebook. I am very sorry that the rest of the March classes are cancelled but I can get out and practice my drawing where I live at Sonora Cohousing where we have lots of interesting things to contemplate outside. These are challenging times. I hope this finds you well.
Hi Freda, this is Roseann replying for Barbara. She is not on this platform frequently, so I’ll pass your note to her! Hope you are well in these times as well.
Hi Barbara,
I am one of the scientists who sequenced the genome of the saguaro cactus that grew on Tumamoc Hill in Tucson (“SGP5”), and was written about by Paul Mirocha on his Tumamoc Sketchbook in 2016. I have been asked to contribute an essay on the saguaro genome project for the first publication by the Desert Humanities Initiative here at ASU, due out sometime this spring. I was thinking it might be nice to include your painting/drawing of SGP5 (from Paul’s story) as part of my essay. Would you let me know whether you would allow your painting to be used for this purpose, and under what conditions for publication you would require. I am happy to provide whatever attribution you think is appropriate.
Sincerely,
Marty Wojciechowski
Associate Professor, ASU, Tempe
https://sols.asu.edu/martin-wojciechowski
Hello Marty,
I am so seldom on this platform that I missed your very kind request. Assuming you haven’t yet submitted the manuscript, yes you do have permission to reproduce the image.
My apologies for the tardy reply,
Barbara