Fifth Journey Day 17: Sketch Left Unfinished

Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Narsaq, Greenland

I was on the ground for most of the day. After I arrived, I didn't feel like looking for panoramic views or stories in scale. Instead, I walked slowly through the patches of tundra near the edge of town, drawn to the small groups of moss and low-growing flowers that grow between stone and soil. Kneeling was a way to show respect — not for show, but for its own sake. The lichen patterns were more complex than I had expected — some branching like river tributaries, others in rounded fans, soft but firm to the touch.

I sketched for a while, but I wasn't working on complete compositions. I was just doing quick drawings to get my ideas down. Markings. I noticed how the green colors changed in different places under the changing light, and how the earth had a pinkish color in some wet areas. A local man passed by and nodded. We didn't say anything to each other. That felt right.

There's a kind of silence here that doesn't need to be explained. It's not the silence of emptiness; it's the silence of agreement. Things have been so long that they have become what they are. I didn't feel like I had to interpret it or look for meaning. I just had to be very still so that I wouldn't disrupt it.

At some point, I stopped drawing and just stayed where I was, my hand resting on the paper, watching a single cloud slowly move over the ridge. I think that was the best part of the day. I won't paint the cloud. But the feeling of drifting slowly might be in the next piece — light, calm, and measured.

I haven't said much today. My thoughts are more complex than I can express in words. Sometimes, that is enough.