I love alleys, and I knew I wanted to draw an alley scene. However, I just couldn’t find the “right” spot and I was tiring of driving around our area, so I settled on parking in our own little parking lot next to our garage on our own alley. I parked sideways so I could open the car window and comfortably peruse the scene. The ants ended up being out of proportion, but then, by merit of their activity, perhaps they deserve extra notice.

The day I drew this picture, I knew I wanted to draw clouds. I also yearned to be close to the water. So I ended up at the well-worn vista overlooking Susitna. I quickly drew the basic composition so I could have time drawing the clouds. Once I figured out that little dots were the way to go, the clouds began to create themselves on the paper. They took most of the rest of the time. I was grateful that the magpie showed up, very stern indeed, and just a couple feet from my face, to add an element of interest. Appropriately, he is semi-transparent because his presence was fleeting, if powerful. The other signs of life were airplanes taking off and landing at the Anchorage International Airport, and a lone small watercraft whizzing by in the distance.

Still a bit jet-lagged, I opted for familiarity and comfort, and returned to Side Street, which has just the best coffee in a coffee-inundated town and a hospitable and  laid-back atmosphere. I was trying to take the perspective of remaining aware of the space around me, and it came out in this way– the hanging objects, plus the cloudy-day sky above the ceiling.