Hello again!

Only two weeks left of my one-year, drawing-a-day journal project. Frankly, I'm a tad surprised I could stick with it!

I came down with what I think may have been COVID19 in late January. January 20 was the first diagnosis of the disease and it was right here in the Puget Sound. There is some speculation now that it had been circulating for a while but was mistaken for the flu. I had all the symptoms: lack of appetite and loss of taste and smell, headache, chills, fever, lethargy to the point where I couldn't even sit up to draw, aching muscles, yet no congestion. After two weeks, we finally checked into the ER and they ran every test available (this was pre-Corona). After 8 hours all they could say was "not the flu."

The only reason to doubt it was COVID was that Donna didn't get it. So maybe it was something else. Maybe she's immune?  

A few days later the Kirkland retirement home made the news. I was still weak but managed to start drawing again. Above is Donna in her art studio.

I was determined to get drawing again so Donna and I looked for scenes we could draw from the front seat of the car.

To protect my Gage students, I changed the locations of my Urban Sketching class to large open areas where we could keep at least six feet apart, such as Gasworks Park, above.

I'm so fortunate that Donna also draws, and is content to sit with me for hours sketching in relative silence. Her own drawing and painting is really coming along and I'm enjoying watching her progress. Here's one of hers:

Isn't that great?

Above is a strange drawing of Fremont, also from the front seat of my car. In two weeks, I'll have finished all 350-something drawings for my next book, which will be grayscale, and in chronological order from April 12, 2019 to April 12, 2020. With this challenge finished, I get to go back to painting in living color. I'm excited about that, to say the least.

If you haven't yet seen my last full-color book, About A Year, I recommend it! You can get it here or on my Etsy store at www.etsy.com/shop/stevenreddy. I'm running a "quarantine special" right now with free shipping and lower prices. 

Okay everybody, stay safe, wash your hands and maintain social distances!

Big love,

Steven