Tag Archives: Suzanne Forbes art

First time drawing outside since February 28, 2020!

Outside Cafe Einstein West Berlin July 17 2021 2 by Suzanne ForbesI didn’t go very far to make these drawings!

A wonderful event from Stella Ahangi, called The Walk of Glam, always starts right near our place. The Walkers meet at Cafe Einstein on Weitzstrasse. I arrived early, not knowing that the 2pm time was the meetup time, not the start time. So I had some time to warm up and see what it was like to draw people in actual space, rather than on a screen!

Although of course I’ve produced hundreds of drawings in the last sixteen months of self-isolation, it was very different being outside, with unmasked people everywhere around me.

I was rattled, and my hand control was very limited. As you can see by the loose, wobbly lines. Which I don’t hate, honestly – my drawings can be dry, because I am so highly trained, and I like it when I can be less technical.

Outside Cafe Einstein West Berlin July 17 2021 unfinished by Suzanne ForbesThis is the drawing as it was when I got home.

I brought my signature neon green eyeball pencil case- easy to spot in dark clubs!- which was a gift from Beloved Friend-Muse-Patron Clear Menser on my 50th. First outing for the pencil case in 16 months too!

I don’t know what was going on with these three people, other than that they spent some time mocking me for my mask and face shield. The woman definitely seemed pissed. Adding whites and solid blacks at home afterwards helped capture the weird mood of the group and the way the hot, humid day kept flashing from sunny to the threat of downpour.

Outside Cafe Einstein West Berlin July 17 2021 seated men by Suzanne ForbesBy the second one I was getting the hang of three dimensional space again.

It felt so good to draw SPACE and AIR! Drawing chairs around a cafe table, drawing the space between people as they move, was like running on a track for a racehorse who’s been cooped up! Just after I finished this one, the Walk of Glam folks began to arrive.

Those drawings coming soon!

I am so grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue making art as a Covid-vulnerable disabled person. With your support, I can work from home or safely outside and keep telling the stories of Berlin.

My Fantasy Wheelchair, Part 1.

My Fantasy Wheelchair by Suzanne Forbes June 20 2021I am very excited about getting a wheelchair.

As a person who has suffered from devastating fatigue for decades, the idea of assistance with the grueling business of walking is thrilling to me. Not to mention having my own place to sit, all the time!

I’m not gonna say any names, but I once bought a ticket to a Berlin event to draw, (even though I am usually guestlisted/VIP), only to learn it had been oversold and there were no seats left. I was about to leave myself, and head home bitterly disappointed, when a friend brought me a chair from backstage. Standing is not an option for many people, including me!

The idea that chair users hate being “stuck in a wheelchair” is an ablist myth.

I am on #DisabilityTwitter every day, talking to people who loooooove their chairs. Having a chair to be able to go places is a joy. People who have to measure and calculate their energy to get through the day, like many ambulatory wheelchair users, and me, need every scrap of energy they can save. Saving the vast amount of energy walking and standing takes is like winning the lottery!

The hardships of wheelchair use are generally caused by failure of accessibility.

With twenty million Long Covid survivors joining those of us who suffer disabling fatigue, vertigo, and shortness of breath, we might finally get enough #CriptheVote power to make an accessible world a priority. Certainly I expect market forces to drive chair and other mobility device innovation in the years to come.

What I really want is the “body bra” described in recent Kim Stanley Robinson books, or the “Frank” smart armature that beloved “Reamde” character Zula wears in Neal Stephenson’s otherwise terrible sequel, “Fall, or Dodge in Hell”.

Until I can have my smart armature to walk me around so I can save my energy to draw, I look forward to several generations of improving electric wheelchairs or scooters!

A note: when I found myself making this drawing rather in the style of artist Felix d’Eon, I leaned right into it!

Felix d’Eon is a former San Franciscan, a gay Mexican artist who makes drawings of queer love. Based in Mexico City and using his friends and community as models, he is an incredibly gifted figurative artist and designer. I think I styled my wheelchair picture like one of his pieces because his art gives me such warm feelings of inclusion and acceptance!

Please follow his new Instagram account, as the old one was unfairly suspended and he lost 114k followers! And visit his etsy store! twitter too!

I am incredibly grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue making art as a disabled person.