“Primordius” new line drawing part of my Genesis series

I’m fascinated by word origins. Have been for a very long time. My books on the subject have many post-it notes, paper strips, dog-eared corners, and margin scribbles. My favorite source of inspiration, an old unabridged, Webster’s International Dictionary, it’s over 4-inches thick, with tissue-paper thin pages. It’s heavy, gives me a real workout lugging it around. When my eyesight fails I’ll need a magnifying glass to read the tiny type.

That’s why many of my titles are Latin, Greek, Arabic, Persian, et cetera. I finished Primordius yesterday, Latin for original, from primus first, plus ordiri to begin.

I am no expert in word origins. Never studied it. Don’t have a very good memory for it. It’s just a bit of fun, a little hobby that makes me feel smart after doing something really stupid. There’s a concreteness about it, unlike the subject of this drawing and many of my others: coming into being.