Perhaps because of my impatience to see something progress or manifest, or perhaps simply because of the emotional outlet that drawing can be for me, my line use and technique tends to be very gestural. By this, I mean that they start out as very free, loose interpretations of the figure or other subject matter, with an attempt to capture the basic motion, direction, or gesture of the figure. It is very much a summary, an impression of form, with the lines travelling not only to define the boundaries of the subject of the image, but to strike out into the space around it as well.
     I simply allow myself to respond to what I see in such a way that the reactions seem automatic, or "intuitive." Note the quotation marks: I generally loathe using that word because of its connotations--with intuition there is still mental processing going on, even though it isn't all being explicitly recorded in consciousness. What I notice myself doing is not only reacting to what I am drawing, but reacting to the drawing itself as it forms--my peculiar sensibilities then find certain relationships or developments natural, given what I start out with. Move and counter-move.

     It can be a very quick method in a sense, although sometimes I've stared at the beginnings of a drawing for several minutes, suddenly felt compelled to strike a mark at a certain place, and then contemplated for another few minutes before another mark "felt" right. It is all about being open, being free in responding to lines, angles and planes, of letting your arm flow and make a mark as your eyes glide across what you are trying to draw. When done right, it feels like dancing. Or maybe ping-pong.
     But that is basically what most appeals to me about the creative process, creating art--seeing my response to things, feeling open to letting the world retranslate itself through my hand. What it might mean to someone else is something that I can't say. Hopefully, the outcome of my observations and efforts somehow reflects the state of mind I was in when I made them, or at least creates an interesting visual experience of some kind. But I do wonder sometimes, I wonder what function it all serves, what meaning outside of the context of my own enjoyment and personal growth. It is a relevant question for anyone who tries to do anything creative, unless they are alone on a desert island and their own audience. Plus there's that whole career thing to worry about some day. What are people going to pay me for?