[ti:Artist, 88, Draws a Picture Every Day During the Pandemic] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Eighty-eight-year-old Robert Seaman has been drawing since he was a boy. [00:06.04]At age 60, he left his job selling houses and other properties [00:12.00]to take up his hobby professionally. [00:14.84]But it took the coronavirus pandemic to fully return him to what he loved to do. [00:22.48]Seaman said, as a child, he sometimes liked to keep to himself [00:27.68]and sometimes was "an extrovert." [00:31.40]He added, "But in my introvert phase, I would love to go up to my room [00:36.76]where I had a drawing table kind of desk [00:39.72]and I'd spend hours up there drawing pictures. [00:43.52]That's what I'm doing now." [00:46.68]Seaman recently marked one year since he started drawing [00:51.12]what he calls his "daily doodles." [00:55.28]He lives at the Maplewood Assisted Living center [00:59.84]in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. [01:02.40]He spends about six hours a day working on his doodles. [01:09.64]He starts his drawings in pencil. [01:12.88]He then finishes them with ink, colored pencil and watercolor. [01:20.24]"After a long life, I'm back doing what I did [01:23.84]when I was 11 years old," he said. [01:26.76]"And it's great, I love it. I'm so lucky that I can do this." [01:33.28]Seaman moved into Maplewood just two weeks [01:36.52]before pandemic restrictions cut residents off from the outside world. [01:42.28]For many months, they could not leave their rooms. [01:48.20]It was only recently that they were permitted [01:51.48]to interact in common areas without masks. [01:56.56]"The first thought I had was to just do some kind of dark stuff [02:00.56]that reflected the nature of the confinement that we were experiencing [02:05.36]and the difficulties that were created by this pandemic," he said. [02:10.92]"Then it just started to grow, [02:13.28]and I thought it would be interesting to do one a day." [02:18.36]He started sending the doodles to his daughter, Robin Hayes, [02:22.48]and other friends and family. [02:25.80]Hayes then shared them on Facebook. [02:28.88]As interest grew, [02:31.44]she began offering the drawings and prints for sale online. [02:37.44]Half of the money earned was donated to causes, [02:41.20]including a COVID-19 aid program, [02:44.60]a homeless shelter and an organization that helps refugees. [02:51.08]As the days passed, Seaman's art got brighter [02:55.28]in both subject matter and appearance. [02:59.84]Some pieces show his interest in science fiction. [03:04.68]Other drawings have playful images of animals [03:08.16]or show his sense of humor. [03:11.40]One drawing, "Portraits of a Shy Family," [03:15.08]shows framed paintings of the backs of people's heads. [03:20.84]A much-loved cat, Piper, shows up in many other drawings. [03:27.84]Seaman says he will "probably kick the bucket" [03:31.28]before he runs out of ideas. [03:33.84]To "kick the bucket" is an expression that means to die. [03:39.32]Seaman added, "I might be watching something on television, [03:43.52]and someone will have a picture on the wall that will give me an idea. [03:48.36]When I go to sleep at night, [03:50.40]for a few minutes I try to think of some new ideas." [03:55.52]Doodle #365, called "Potpourri" [03:59.92]shows the Earth behind other objects. [04:03.80]They include his cat Piper, [04:06.72]a mechanical bird Seaman keeps on his desk, [04:10.08]a horse and a man wearing a hat and eyewear. [04:15.80]It is framed by a series of shapes that look like calligraphy [04:20.80]but are not actual letters. [04:24.16]Seaman said he has no plans to stop drawing. [04:29.20]"It keeps me occupied, and I love doing it, [04:32.84]but it also does help some other people, [04:35.36]which is kind of nice," he said. [04:38.76]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM