How the Conversation began

It all started that one day in 1986…

Susan recalls, “My children were in bed and I had a deadline for one of my clients that night. Bill came to visit me, but I told him I had to continue working. He noticed a photo of my son Cheston pinned to the wall near my drawing board. (I had taken it a few years back and saved it to draw from someday. Cheston after his nap.) 

Bill asked if he could draw from it while I finished my work. So I gave him a large sheet of drawing paper and a pencil. An hour later he had finished his drawing. He wouldn’t show it to me and instead, handed me the pencil and photo and suggested I do a sketch of the same photo. 

It was late, but I thought it might be fun. Using a second sheet of the same paper, I began drawing and finished in an hour as well. Then Bill showed me his drawing and we immediately began comparing the differences. He filled the page vertically, I used a horizontal approach and drew my son much smaller. 

Our art styles were definitely different, yet each image looked very much like Cheston. I notice mine took on a slightly more grown-up look. His cheeks had thinned a bit.He was now a bit older than he was in the photo. I seemed to have projected that into my drawing to reflect how I knew him in the present moment. 

Interesting. And so the conversation began. And continues....”