My brother, artist Lynn Burton, said “You never do anything simple. Do you?” Well, he’s right. I don’t. I don’t know why, but I just don’t. I understand how beautiful simplicity is…at least, in the art world. But somehow it escapes me. I think I have a complicated brain. When it comes to drawing or painting something I dream up, it always turns complicated, even when it is simple.

Now, how simple is it to draw a picture of old ‘Father Time’ with a few watch or clock gears floating around him in cyber space…or whatever?  Well, I dreamed it up and it kept getting more and more complicated with each stroke of a graphite pencil as I tried to portray my muse on the 18″ by 24″ paper. In most cases I was doing cross-hatching using the tip of the pencil as if it were the tip of a paint brush. As complicated as the drawing is, I drew it loose as if painting. I know it’s hard to believe when you see the finished product. But it’s a fact, and I’ll swear to it. I made several sketches to prepare for the drawing. The one below is just a sample.

The sketch is only 6″X18″. I knew I was in for a challenge after drawing it, since it was so small compared to the task before me…but trudge on I did. However, after doing the sketch, I felt confident that I would be able to accomplish the full drawing. It just wasn’t going to be simple…not at all.

There was one thing that I was certain. I was going to have to sketch out the full body of the old man, and to do so, it would have be in a manner as to tone down the busy background of the gears behind him. The gears were to be symbolism for the movement and finality of time. This was just a sketch, and I did not draw it as if I were painting. No, I did the leaning over back hurting grinding work of study.

In my muse, ‘Father Time” had to be sitting static and concentrating on the giant wrist watch which showed near midnight for some sad someone (as do the other time pieces in the drawing). He had to appear as if any moment he would spring into action and reach for his scythe (which is not shown). Is the name of the soul he intends to harvest on the scroll he is holding in his hand?

Although I’d made several sketches by this time, I still wasn’t totally comfortable. I had a burning desire to make the image of ‘Father Time’ to be more accurate than the rough sketch to the right. I needed a model, and who is the best model? Oneself, right? Well…that is if you don’t have the money for a professional, which I do not. So…out comes the camera and my wife acting as photographer, and after several shots of which I modeled, the picture began taking shape. Yeah! I was finally getting somewhere. Where? I wasn’t sure, but I was having fun. That’s what it’s all about…right?

With a towel on top of my head and foot resting on the camera box, I felt I had some reference that might just finally begin to put the finishing touches to the drawing. Whatever it takes, I always say.

Well, maybe it doesn’t take as much as I was doing, but when I got started, I just couldn’t stop. Can you ever go too far?

Onward I trudged with trusty pencil in hand until I looked up this morning and realized the picture was as finished as it could be. One more tiny touch of graphite to paper could ruin it.

Pictured below is the first posted photograph of Grinding Gears of Time. I hope you enjoy.