This drawing, Quiet Strength, is dedicated to our dear friend and most gifted poet Cynthia Jobin, who left us too early but remains in our minds and hearts.
These past few months I went quiet on my blog returning to my roots in art that is drawing – going back to the basics and concentrating on fundamentals. I’m looking to bring a refinement to my work. Click onto the image for a larger view.
Quiet Strength is a graphite drawing (12×9) produced on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper. My objective with this piece was to capture the elegant flow of fabric while illustrating the strength of a pirouette. For me this drawing symbolized Cynthia, with her elegant flow of words and strength of character – she is dearly missed.
Thank you for stopping by.
Please don’t take my images – my art is copyrighted.
Please don’t copy or use the image without receiving my permission first – see disclosure on the right panel.
Oil Pastels by Mary 
Beautiful, such a wistful and delicate moment captured.
Thank you so much Julia for your kind words – love your response.
This is a beautiful tribute, excellent!
robert
Thank you Robert for your lovely and gracious response to the drawing – always appreciated.
I didn’t follow Cynthia but as I read through blogs I see how greatly she is missed. This drawing has a lovely flow and contentment to it.
Thank you so much Galilvanta and very nice to see you again. She was a special one for sure – loved her work. Hope you are well.
What a great homage to a dear friend. Exquisite. Nice to admire your work again, Mary.
Thank you so much Evelyne – so great to see you again.
So very elegant! Happy to see you, Mary. Welcome back. 🙂
Hi Amy, so great to see you again. Thank you so much and glad that you enjoyed the drawing.
Thanks to you, Dear Mary! Hope you had a nice break from WP. 🙂 Miss you!
Thank you so much Amy, means a lot and I’ve missed you and your amazing photography as well. Here’s to new beginnings and Spring is in the air (or is it?).
Thank you for your compliment, Mary! I’m looking forward to spring wildflowers. 🙂
Beautiful piece! I love the feminine strength and grace and determination this drawing suggests.
Thanks for sharing the link to Cynthia Jobin’s site. Her poetry is remarkable.
Hi Ruth, so good to see you again. Thank you for your lovely read on the drawing – it was as you described what I was aiming for. Cynthia’s was an amazing poet whose ability to take an ordinary scene/subject and through her creativity words create a vision for the reader like none other. Have a wonderful Sunday.
Cynthia Jobin: such a voice, such a soul, such honesty. Thank you, Mary! #inspired by both of you
Beautiful response Catherine – happy to see you again. Thanks so much and Happy Sunday to you.
Best to you as well! Thanks for your gifts.
So wonderful to see your work again, Mary. And what a beautiful dedication to your friend. I also love the movement of the tulle tutu. So pretty. Getting to the point: As always, thanks for the inspiration!
Theadora
So good to see you again Theadora – love your fine description of this drawing, makes my day, thank you so much. Happy Saturday my friend.
It’s exquisite, Mary! You’ve captured delicacy yet strength magnificently 🙂 🙂 Lovely to see you back.
So great to see you again my friend – nice to be back. Thank you for your generous response to the drawing, I loved working out the fabric on this one. Have a beautiful weekend!
amazing and elegant drawing…
Nice to see you and for leaving such a beautiful comment Mihran, thank you so much. Looking forward to hearing more of your wonderful music ~
Wonderful drawing!!
Love your avatar! Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a beautiful comment ~
Thank you! Very welcome!
Elegance, elegance – exquisitely caught
Love your response Ann-Christine, thank you so much. Have been missing your gorgeous photographs, looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to.
I have been missing you too, Mary –
Oh wow, Mary, great drawing! One can feel that graphite is one way you are familiar with!
Thanks so much for your generous response – I loved working this one. Appreciate it! Wonderful to see you again ~
Thrilled to see your return Mary. Superb drawing!
Great to see you too Susan – you make my day, thank you for your generous response! Looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to ~
How very beautiful and haunting this is! Reminds me of a film I loved as a child…The Red Shoes. Welcome back and thank you for sharing this very special drawing
Thanks so much Dorann – great to see you again! Love your response to the piece. Hope you are well and celebrating the beginnings of Spring ~
What a lovely tribute to Cynthia. It’s always sad to lose a dear friend, but the memories never fade. Great to see you again, Mary. Happy weekend. xx
So good to see you Sylvia – hope you are well. I’ve been wondering how the house is coming along and if your piano has secured its special place in your new home yet? Thank you for your kind words, very special my friend.
Thanks, Mary. I’ve had my piano in place since before we went on our Antarctic cruise at the end of last year, and I try to make time to play it every day. The house is looking great. The outside painting is almost finished and next week, the contractors are coming to put in the new screen room. Hubby has worked so hard and made a fantastic job of everything. 🙂
Can’t wait to see your updates Sylvia – the cruise sounds fantastic too. Just imagine the house will finally be completed. Amazing the amount of work your husband put into it. I’ll bet he loves hearing you play the piano again – so many great things to read about.
So good to see you back, Mary. Going back to the fundamentals / basis is….well, elementary!!!!! Welcome back! BEAUTIFUL work!
Wonderful to see you Marina – I hope you are well, no doubt creating new and exciting pieces from music to your gorgeous art. I’ve missed you. Thank you for your warm greetings ~ means a lot my friend.
Missed you and your wonderful work too!!!! 🙂 xxxxxx
Very beautiful.
Good to see you Lee! Thanks so much for your lovely comment ~ I really appreciate it.
Good morning Mary – I have missed you. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend….your drawing is very beautiful and sensitive….I look forward very much to seeing more. Janet 🙂
So awesome to see you again Janet – good day to you as well. I’ve been busy with my pencils and charcoal, perfect mediums to get lost in. Can’t wait to see your latest paintings and wonderful stories. I hope you are well my friend.
Good to see you again Mary. I swear those tipping toes are swirling the skirt. Your tribute to Cynthia is so fitting. She always knew what to say.
Good to see you again too Derrick. Thank you for your great thoughts on the piece. I agree that Cynthia always had just the right comments and feedback, she was a special one. Thanks so much and my best to Jackie, it’s just about showtime for your gardens! Looking forward to seeing your photographs and stories – always a special treat.
Good to see your beautiful work again, Miss Mary,
and yes, dear Cynthia left us, may she rest in peace.
Big hugs
uncle john
Great to see you Uncle John it’s been a while – thank you for your kind words and thoughts. You’ve made my day. I hope you are well and I look forward to reading your latest works.
It’s an exquisite drawing Mary. It’s good to have you back! 🙂 ❤
Hi Natalie – wonderful to see you again. Thanks so much for your beautiful comment – I’ve missed your passages of spirit and encouragement. Hope you are well.
I’m well and hope you are too Mary! I missed your lovely are so much! Hugs and blessings, N 😊❤️
beautifully done Mary! I love the fact that you give tribute, and give this memorial to your friend. such loveliness of spirit 🙂
Hi Debi, so great to see you. Thank you for your touching and lovely words – means a lot. Looking forward to seeing your latest creations with words of encouragement and advice.
thank you Mary. it is good to see you and your work on WP. I’d wondered where you might be 🙂 I do love how sensitive your graphite, charcoal, etc works are!!
Thanks Debi and do appreciate your message. I’m been getting a feeling for where I want to take my drawings – hoping to be able to move them toward my vision. Thanks again ~ great to be back.
Just beautiful.
Thanks so much Terry – I really appreciate it!
That is such a beautiful sketch. I have missed you and your art! 🙂
Hi Victo, I’ve missed your wit! Thanks so much for your kind words, means a lot. Looking forward to catching up.
A very sweet tribute; I often find when dealing with the loss/absence of a loved one, my paintings turn muddy but my pencils seem more sensitive…. I know when I can paint in color again that I’ve dealt with my loss….
It’s good to see you!
So great to see you Lisa – you are amazing. Wow, did you nail it or what?! Yes I all of a sudden couldn’t quite work with the flow and mix of paint – the muse wasn’t there. It was the pencil that started things flowing again – letting me settle into a slow thoughtful process of creating, as you said “my pencils seem more sensitive”. Thank you for understanding. I hope you are well and look forward to visiting to see your latest posts my friend.
Si Mary; I think we need those ‘down’ times when we come face to face with more sobering moments… Just as the full moon has to go through rest cycles, we need them as well.
Not only welcome back, but a wonderful tribute to Cynthia. Actually you were the common bond that got her and I together. (Thank you kindly). Love the details that I could see in the closer look. Hope all is well.
Thank you Frank, your words mean a lot – good to see you. Cynthia was a very special one – I miss her. Hope you are well and looks like the golfing scene is just about here. Are you working at the course this year again?
Yep … still at the course about a day per week during the winter. (Except for January because I was gone). Ramping up to 2 days now … but actually hoping to work less this summer.
Well now that the Mrs. is retired also, hopefully you guys are able to spend time having fun with a little dancing and traveling! I’m sure that the golf course loves having you there though ~
I was PT last year … but even with that, working shifts like 9-1, 10-3, 3-8 do mess with many days … thus why I’ve asked for fewer hours. Good news is they were able to expand staff.
Good to hear Frank – you are supposed to be retired!!
🙂
Good to see you drawing and posting again, Mary.
Thanks so much Tom – it’s good to see you too. Looking forward to seeing your latest paintings.
Wonderful to see you again, Mary. Your drawing, as always, is so elegant and lovely. My condolences to you in your loss of Cynthia Jobin. I read her poem, and it sounds like she celebrated life right to the end. I love that final line….
Wonderful to see you Jet, hope you are well and thank you for your warm comments. Cynthia was something else, she once wrote to me that she loved the English language and nowhere can that be seen more than in her large body of work. Her creativity in bringing scenes alive through her verses was amazing. So glad you visited her blog – many of her poems are out there if you are interested in reading more of her work.
It’s nice to have you back Mary, but I’m sorry to hear about your friend. I’m sure she’d love the drawing as much as I do. The details in the skirt are amazing. A beautiful tribute Mary.
Wonderful to see you Jess and thank you so much. Hope that you are well and that you are continuing with your art studies, looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up too.
Beautiful Mary. Your detail is perfect. Nice to have you back 💕🙏🏻
Thank you so much Karen, wonderful to be back ~
Hello, Mary. There\s exquisite detail in this drawing. Wonderful!
Hello Sarah, so good to see you and hope you are well. Need to pop over and see what you’ve been up too (no doubt you’ve worked up some amazing creations). Thank you so much for your wonderful response to this drawing.
The drawing is poetry on Vellum. I can’t think of a better tribute. I wish I would be remembered in art one day. My condolences, Mary! ❤
Resa, wonderful to see you and thank you for your magical words of encouragement. Your creations are nothing short of brilliant and spectacular, you’ve made your mark and then some in the world of fashion! Thank you my friend.
Thank you! You’re special, therefore your words are. ⭐
I’m smiling, of course ~
It’s so nice to see you, Mary. I’ve missed you. Your drawing is fantastic! Maybe I need to step away from blogging, if those are the results. ❤
Great to see you Jill. Such a beautiful greeting, means a lot to me. I was just thinking about you, isn’t your book just about due out? Now that is some exciting news!! Promise to catch up.
It released on February 21st…thanks for asking. 🙂
Will definitely go take a look – congratulations!! You must be thrilled ~
Thanks, Mary! It’s been an exciting time. 🙂
I’ll bet!