Image by Susan L.

  During the cleanout of my art, this image somehow ended up on my kitchen table along with a pile of other paper. It was produced during one of my pen and ink lessons. I confess the rough outline was traced simply because of time constraints. I wanted to use the portrait to demonstrate the power of line to create form and dimension. This was also used to demonstrate cross hatching, the technique where layering lines in different directions creates shading.
  I am not against tracing when it comes to learning. It helps develop hand/eye coordination as well as the ability to see the shapes and shadows within the subject. Even the great masters copied others' works as part of the learning curve.
  This young girl has brought the name "Mary" to mind. It's used for three main female characters in the New Testament. Her pensive and  introspective pose has me wondering about the thoughts that may have gone through those three ladies' minds.
  Perhaps Mary, the mother of Jesus, looked like this before she went to see her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. She had a secret and until Elizabeth blessed her, did she wonder about the choice she had made? Did she take time to lay her fears before God?
  When I was expecting my own son, I had moments like this: moments of wondering if all will work out for the child. There were also quiet moments of tumultuous fear/joy/awe surrounding the miracle of creation. Mary knew she was carrying the Son of God.
  Perhaps Mary, the sister of Martha, sat for a few moments with her hands folded following the death of her brother, Lazarus, taking a quiet moment to share her grief with God.
  And last is Mary Magdalene. Did she look this lost before she met Christ? Did her heart yearn for an impossible escape from the life of a prostitute? It's a good thing God is a God of the possible. He sent Jesus her way.
  Thank You, Lord, for bringing me this image. Thank You, Lord, for the gift it has been.
  "As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man." Prov 27:19