You’ve probably noticed that the body part I draw most often is the head. Presumably the reason is obvious – the face is the most recognizable part of a person. People we’re familiar with we can usually recognize at a distance (providing they are behaving like themselves) but casual acquaintances need to be close enough for us to see the details of their faces.

I was in QFC on Sunday when the man in front of me was greated by the woman in front of him. He commented that he wouldn’t have recognized her if she hadn’t said anything. After she collected her groceries and left he told the clerk that she was an ex-girlfriend that he hadn’t seen in fifteen years, that he didn’t recognize her because she was dressed so conservatively.