A couple of weeks ago I spent a peaceful hour at Garfield Park Conservatory’s Horticulture Hall. Few people were around, and I was able to grab a wrought iron chair and sit down to sketch. A man came up to me and said he wanted to get back into drawing. I was happy that my being relaxed enough to draw in public enabled someone else to express such a wish for himself.

This page was done in a Starbucks in a department store in downtown Chicago. I felt comfortable drawing; no one seemed to mind, and several people made eye contact with me. It’s a busy, cozy place. No laptops here. One of the reasons I go to coffee houses is to be among congenial strangers in a public place. The presence of computers usually kills the feeling. It was refreshing to taste what it was like again today.