I was ‘barely old.’

by Steven McCabe

In 2015, when I did this drawing, I was ‘barely old.‘

Leonard Cohen already said the more poetic ‘almost young.’

I was not ‘almost young.‘ I play tricks on myself.

Little did I realize, ten years later, I would create my most insistent work to date.

As the years have gone wherever they go, a whirlwind out-of-the-blue arrives stirring the cauldron.

One may equivocate but not to this idea insisting always YES.

Part One (of the diptych) discussed here.

Part Two (of the diptych) discussed here.

Update: I completed the diptych and upon completion realized theme & image insist we continue.

I began work on a third roll of paper thus forming a triptych.

One-third of the way (October, 2025) into the final roll of 5′ X 33′ paper I took a break to deal with minor ‘mechanical’ medical issues.

I find myself moving in slow motion. Why be concerned? I recall Aesop’s Fable of The Tortoise and The Hare.

Celtic ‘bird-man’ (in a warmer black watercolour) is where I stopped. The pause has given me time & space to sketch & imagine possibilities for what comes next.

Sooner rather than later, knock on wood, I shall impersonate The Tortoise crossing the finish line.

Three rolls of paper size-wise total approximately 5′ X 100.’

Creating a triptych has taken me by surprise, consumed hundreds of hours, and given me a great deal of silence & satisfaction.

I will keep you informed.