x.l. is actually one of the students of mine who inspired this mail art project. perhaps i took a little while creating hers because i felt a little indebted to her. i have known x.l. for what feels like a while, but she is pretty reserved. she speaks her mind, but is not one to flaunt what she knows or has experienced. from what i gathered, however, she is very interested in art. while i was visiting kansas city a few months ago, i sketched a chair in a local coffee house. i find myself sketching all the time when i am traveling. i realized that i was doing what many artists do: practicing still life. i knew that x.l. would appreciate this somehow. at the same time, something about the old-fashioned construction of the chair conveyed many histories: beat poetry, coffee house culture, existential questions. so i decided to sketch this for x.l. i'm not the best at drawing, but i thought the least i could do was try. the chair being black, i found it difficult to convey the delicate light and shadow that fell upon it in the late morning sun. but i'm actually pretty proud of what came of it.