Today at my sketch group, our model worked hard. When it was time for her last pose, her tiredness showed and I was reminded of a woman I see occasionally at an underpass near our home. The woman has companions and they seem to take turns panhandling and resting. I notice her but have never spoken to her. I don’t know if she is homeless, but to me she represents homelessness. When we drove to Texas recently, we saw so very many people along the way that may well have been homeless. It seemed like an epidemic of homelessness all across the Southwest.
I tried to evoke the woman’s body language in this sketch by accentuating her thinness, emphasizing her air of exhaustion, and including a suggestion of a roadside. I added the flower to symbolize hope and beauty.
Deliberate Sketching 
Oh Sarah, this evokes deep emotion in me!! So wonderful, you tell stories through your wonderful observing heart and your art. If it were mine I would title it “Flower of Hope,” as I see/feel the flower and the woman share traits. Love it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I edited the title to include, “flower of Hope,” thank you Sheila for the suggestion!
LikeLike
It is so sad. It is drugs and mental health in most cases. Then there are just those who are not motivated to work. I was in Stockton when they emptied the first of California’s State hospitals into the community. The residents were successfully medicated and were to return for medication and treatment. It was not successful because the patients were mentally ill and seldom motivated to take meds that caused them to not have the highs associated with their mental health. How do I know so much about this population? I was in a support group of female friends for 8 years. We hooked up via NOW. One of the members was a patient at the hospital. She was encouraged to join us for weekly meetings. She had been a nurse and was a great person and gave us a deeper look at the situation of her peers. I am still in close contact with two of the original group. It was a life changing experience. Relationships not unlike you and your sisters. I miss them in my life.
Sent from my iPad
>
LikeLike
You captured it!
On Fri, Apr 12, 2019 at 2:00 AM, Deliberate Sketching wrote:
> Sarah Sullivan posted: ” The Epidemic Sometimes I see a woman at an > underpass near our home. She has companions and they seem to take turns > panhandling and resting. I notice her but have never spoken to her. I don’t > know if she is homeless, but to me she represents homelessn” >
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you again, Alana!
LikeLike