Michael Nobbs

Drawing without glasses

I think I’m probably overstimulated. After quite a long period of not venturing far from my bed, yesterday G drove me to see the Mary Lloyd Jones exhibition at the National Library. So many paintings, such beautiful colours — probably too much for one visit.

I met up with a couple of dear friends who I haven’t seen in a very long time, and we sat in the café chatting after looking at the exhibition. Seeing my rather diminished self through their eyes is something new and a little unsettling.

Tonight I’m grateful for Ounce’s company whilst I’m not sleeping, and for the familiarity of drawing my tea tray. I don’t feel able to cope with too much sharp focus just now, so I’ve taken my glasses off and am embracing the blurriness.

Ounce, a silver-grey tabby and white cat, curled up on green and grey checked pyjama-clad legs beside an open sketchbook on a bed. The sketchbook contains a loose black ink drawing of my tea tray, with handwritten notes about drawing without glasses, being awake in the small hours and visiting an exhibition the previous day. Beside it are a Mary Lloyd Jones exhibition booklet, a striped earthenware milk jug with a spoon, and a tall metal flask. The bed is covered with a red, grey and cream checked duvet, and the scene is softly lit.
A close-up of an open, homemade sketchbook containing a black ink drawing of a tea tray and its contents. A tall flask, striped milk jug, teapot and large mug are drawn in loose, overlapping lines, with the patterned hen-covered cloth filling much of the background. Handwritten notes describe being awake at 2:10 am, Ounce's company and a visit to an exhibition at the National Library. Behind the sketchbook is a Mary Lloyd Jones exhibition booklet, with a striped ceramic jug partly visible at the top.
An open, homemade sketchbook resting by a tea tray covered with a brown cloth decorated with black illustrations of hens. The pages contain a loose black ink drawing of the tea tray, including a striped milk jug, a teapot coloured with green pencil and a large mug with the letter M on it. Handwritten notes across the top read “Drawing without my glasses (Not sleeping)” and describe Ounce keeping me company in the small hours, and yesterday's visit to the Mary Lloyd Jones exhibition at the National Library. A small note says “I feel the need of blurriness.” The drawing is dated 3 November 2026 and timed at 2:10 am. Three pens and pencil together with the foot of a small reading lamp casting a warm orange glow are visible above the sketchbook.

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