Emily Dickinson with Paintbrush (1984)

"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else." (Emily Dickinson) 

As was often the case, the woman's face in my drawing is a composite of several faces, including Bob Dylan's face. After doing the drawing, I was reading a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson, perceived a very slight resemblance between the face in my drawing and a photo of Emily Dickinson, and gave the drawing the title, "Emily Dickinson with Paintbrush." 

Now that I look at the two faces again, I don't see what I saw in 1984. Still, I like the idea of an Emily Dickinson who was a painter in addition to being a poet. She is holding her paintbrush in an unexpected way, just as Emily Dickinson put her thoughts into words in unexpected and challenging ways.

(Photo from Amherst College Library)