Classic BBQ

This post shows how much I absolutely dislike, and when I say dislike, I mean really really dislike, using the grill. You leave it alone for one too many minutes and you find your meal burnt beyond saving. Personally, I'd rather use stove top and pan. But luckily enough, that mouse in the middle has a keen eye for fire. We hope you enjoy.

Mice all relaxed, ready, and FIRE!

This drawing is attempting to tell, or show, a story.
In that way, it is similar to our earlier drawing of Skating Mice in the sense that it tries to provide glimpses of the past, the present and the future. There is a fine discussion of our sense of timelines at Drawing and Illusion: The Enigma or Art Part 2, Memories of the Future.

Perhaps this approach to storytelling is more like thinking with images than with words. A big difference in the two methods is that, when telling a story with words, the story comes in a stream and there is an imposed order as a consequence. In a drawing, the story elements come all at the same time. There is still a narrative progression, but it is up to the "listener" to put the story elements into their proper sequence. The storyteller and the listener have to work a little harder and they have to work together. The storyteller has to be careful to choose and arrange his images to make clear suggestions and to avoid ambiguous or misleading interpretations. The listener has also a job to do. The listener must think about the story elements and assemble them into a properly sequenced story. It takes some work and the listener's role is not passive: he has to be active to observe, to analyze, to evaluate and to synthesize: in the end, the story is as much a product of the listener's mind as it is a product of the storyteller's. Maybe that is why it is fun: people separated by distance and time working and thinking together to develop a story.

Perhaps using the word listener is a bit awkward here because you look at a drawing, you don't listen to it. But you tell stories, even if you are drawing them, and you listen to them, even when you are looking at a drawing. I tried finding another word but couldn't find one that I liked. "Observer," was too passive. "Looker," just seemed wrong. 'Analyst' has something of the right sense but is too clinical.

Sometimes when working on a drawing like this one, it is easy to lose sight of what you are trying to do. Trying to master the software and all the tools can be frustrating and distracting. Thank you for taking the time to look at what we have attempted.

Please see more of our drawings.