Problems worthy of attack
prove their worth by hitting back.

This small poem from the Danish mathematician, scientist, inventor, and poet, Piet Hein (1905- 1996) goes a long way to explain why people want to figure things out. It feels so good to get it right, to ask the right question, to solve a problem. Yes, it takes hard work, attention, and focus but the reason many people persist at problem solving is it is personally gratifying and emotionally fulfilling to interact with elusive ideas. I was lucky this evening to capture the body language of someone who is totally bitten by a good problem. I noticed how still he held his body, as though he were conserving his energy for the idea. His gaze was intense and focused. His pen, papers and computers were lined up. It was very late but he was happy to be working, you could see it in his face, posture and hands. This is the story I wanted to convey through this sketch.

I used pen and watercolor.