I am an artist and illustrator. And these “episodes” are quick sketches of and stories about people that I meet or have met over the years. I do the drawings first, keeping them simple and spontaneous but (hopefully) sophisticated. They are with perhaps one or two exceptions, line drawings done with a fine-line pen. I started doing these drawings in business meetings. That expanded to doing them in waiting rooms or while traveling, as a way to remember the people I met, worked with, or just observed from afar. Once I’d done a number of these sketches, I began to wonder about the people they depict. What might they be really like on the inside? What are their dreams? Their fears? Their secrets? Since I did not know the people I was drawing (or because I did not know them well), I felt ill-at-ease about asking personal questions. And so, I began to create stories about these people, based on what I imagine their life is like. That way, each drawing became a kind of psychological adventure; I never knew, when I sat down to write, what I was going to find. Like the drawings themselves, the stories are not to scale or photographic. If there is any prevailing theme, it is this: people keep their inner world well-hidden and probably for damn good reason. A secondary theme: making stuff up is much more fun than reality. And in a way, that is the real truth in all this. If you would like to learn more about me or my work please send a note. Our email: myron.gilbert@att.net
Ronny likes to think that he’s a nice guy, a people person. But he really isn’t. He talks about “his turf” and guards it like a shark. He figures that if he looks the other way, someone’s going to take it all away from him. So, he works 10 hours a day and sometimes a lot more, keeps everything to himself, and, if one of his sales people seems to show some ability, he finds a reason to fire them. There’s only exception. That’s Fiona who he thinks of as “my something on the side.” No one is supposed to know but everyone does. And his wife is definitely wise to him. She’s got a big house in a brand-new development, a Mercedes convertible (fuchsia), plenty of evidence and money for the divorce lawyer she’s selected, and plans “to ruin the stupid bastard.” But, in the meantime, she’s content to spend time doing yoga and relaxing at the tanning salon.