Up the Wall

Finally, I'm blogging about my art again! First of all, sincere apologies to my blog followers. If I could offer an explanation it would be this...When home becomes your 'workplace', it makes it challenging to put aside the time and space for home to also be the place where art is created. Before two months ago, working on a piece of art from home was in a sense an act of stepping away from the world and seeking refuge in my home to focus inward using my art as a vehicle. Things are a bit different for the time being. That being said though, my creativity has been amply fed recently by my surroundings and circumstances; now I feel it's time to return the favour and have my creativity give back to the world. A 2-month hiatus is quite enough. Zahida and her art are back.

Up the Wall is a piece I completed 2 months ago. It's the final piece (for the time being) of the series of ink drawings I created, devoted to the sports I love and the sports that have transformed my life over the years. Rock climbing to me will always have a special place in my heart. It's an activity I do only once in a while, although I used to do much more frequently. And unlike most of the other sports I take part in, this is one I don't do alone.

My partner in crime for this sport is my very good friend Patti - with whom I'll be running the Victoria Half Marathon this coming October. It's an activity you're forced to not do in isolation as you rely on the support of a friend to both belay you safely, and of course, cheer you on! Our many visits to Cliffhanger in Coquitlam have allowed us to have great conversations and stay in touch over the many years of friendship, as well as challenge each other to conquer obstacles, go the distance, and reach the top of the wall. And now we don't climb as often as we used to, but we achieve some of the very same objectives in our regular long distance runs and hikes up the Grouse Grind that we do together.

Rock climbing is a great workout. It works all the muscles in the body and is definitely good for strength training. It also is like a giant math and science project; it requires logic, reasoning, and often experimentation, to strategize where you place each hand and foot, and how to use physics to your advantage to get up the wall. And of course, rock climbing is a test of your will and your ability to tell the voice of fear to shut-up and take a hike. This was particularly true in my few adventures of climbing for real in the great outdoors in Squamish many years ago. Now I'm happy staying within a gym, knowing what the coloured footholds are meant to represent, but with the convenience and safety of having all the ropes properly secured and waiting for you within a gym across the street from a Timmy's. But even in the gym, you're still scaling heights of about 45 feet. And for someone who was once afraid of heights, I now love looking down when I reach the top to see exactly how high I am! It's like, "hey ground, look at me!"

So this drawing is a doodle of me climbing Up the Wall, enjoying a challenge, ecstatic about reaching the top so I can take a view at what's below, and high-five my good friend and belayer, Patti, when I get back down again. Pretty sweet stuff.