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
Lolly has always been a stand-out. Ever since kindergarten it seems. She always insisted on selecting her own outfits, even as a five-year-old. She made her parents and brothers crazy as she went through “phases” ranging from grunge in the fourth grade to semi-pornographic in junior high. But it always was clear – she is smart-as-a-whip. Her grades and test scores were always exemplary and her performance, both on an academic and social level, at one of the best colleges in the country were remarkable. After college she dropped out for a bit, traveled in Europe and in India. Had a few flings. And an abortion or two. Came home. Picked up an MBA. And went to work at a leading fashion magazine where she quickly rose to run the place. She’s been there for 10 years now. And just when everyone thought that she would never settle into domestic life, she married a moderately successful fiction writer, 12 years her senior, who is not at all like her. A college drop-out whose often-disheveled appearance, lack of social skills, and modest financial success are in direct contrast to Lolly’s style, quick wit, charm and business success. More than one person sizing the two up has asked, “What’s that about?” But Lolly is pregnant and – doing something that she has never done before – she giggles a lot.
