"You Don't Know Me"

Nobody has questioned my art work since my college days when Sr. Cor Immaculata wanted to know the reason behind every piece in my portfolio. So when he asked me what the deal was with the "You Don't Know Me" drawing on my website, I got a chill. I know, I know. But, really...when someone asks why you drew what you drew, it means something. It means that that person was struck by your drawing. It means that person actually took the time to look deeper then the surface of the picture. I often like to bounce my drawings off of people as I'm drawing them. A not so sensitive person once said to me, "Why do you want me to look at your drawings? Do you need my approval or something?" No, dick, I don't need your approval, just a little feedback. Does it evoke any feeling? That's what art is meant to do. Sure, some art is meant to be private, only for the artist, but most isn't. And since college, I haven't really been able to bounce it off anyone. I guess I asked the wrong person that night.
So what's with the "You Don't Know Me" drawing? I saw him on the train one night. I was feeling pretty low and I looked at this guy. He looked how I felt. We made eye contact and shot each other the same look - the "You Don't Know Me" look, the "What Are You Looking At" look, the "My Day Was Worse Then Yours" look. (It's a great defense mechanism when you make accidental eye contact with a stranger in the city.) Immediately our eyes averted and I just had to draw the eye contact we held for that brief moment, because I did know him. I knew what he was feeling without exchanging words. Am I looking at this too deeply? Maybe, but sometimes looking too deeply at things is what drives my art. It's just who I am.