New Model

Here's a 3-hour Study of Molly (Ebony pencil on paper, 14" x 24") for a new painting I'm working on. Sorry for the poorly-lit photo of the piece - I just snapped it quickly before I locked the studio for the night. [click for a larger version, as usual]

It's been a long time since I've worked one-on-one with a model, and I'm so glad that it's Molly who I tapped for this project. She's an artist herself, and it makes things so much easier (as I've stated in previous posts about figure models) for me, as she is truly into the idea and understands what I'm striving for with the image. I had wanted to work with her since March, after having worked with her at drawing room, because she fit in perfectly with an idea I had for a figure in a landscape. There's some specific things I won't mention, because I'll give away the idea, but I will say that her skin tone had a lot to do with it. Of course, now that I have (barely) some time to get down to work with her, she's headed for California until the winter. But, she was gracious and cool enough to fit me in, knowing that I was serious and that it would be a good experience for us both.

So far, as you can see, it's been great after the one sitting. I plan on working with her again tonight and hopefully I will get a quick color study out of it. She's leaving over the weekend, so I think this may be it. Nevertheless, if I nail the study, as I feel I did with this drawing, I'll be armed with all the info I need to place her in the landscape. Of course, I'll need to do a composite study of that too. You'll see it all here!

Charcoal = Controlled Smudging

Another drawing room session piece in charcoal with the wonderful Caribeth. This was a 20 minute pose with some enhancements after the fact. I think adding the dark tone is a plus in order to get added dimension and even a little atmosphere. Sargent did this often - and who better to try and emulate?
No drawing room this week - there's a show happening there, so I'm a little bummed. However, there are some things I could and probably will tend to in the studio Thursday night instead. I have completed a large piece, and need to properly photograph it. If I get a good shot, I'll post it here, plus a small WIP of how it came together.

Class-ified

Two more 20 minute poses of Kelly and Caribeth, respectively.

drawing room returns this Thursday, after a week off, and I am acting monitor. I do not mind this at all, as it is vaguely reminiscent of my teaching days. And yes, I still miss those days very much. I was offered an opportunity to teach a Spring/Summer session at Sanctuary Arts, where I had taught before. Christopher, the director, told me that people were still asking abut me, even though it's been almost 2 years since I'd stopped because of my new job. I am so flattered by this - and a little sad, too, as I had to decline. Frankly, it's just too much driving. I would have had to go straight there (25 miles south) from my current job, probably have to skip dinner, and drive 50 miles home at 9:30 PM. The reason I know this wouldn't work is because I've done it before without a full time job, and it was rough. If Sanctuary was in Portland, I would surely have done it. Heck, I'd still be teaching there, period.

I also miss teaching in BFA, as well. I just loved my students. So much energy (well, some of them), and eagerness to make art the lifeblood of their existence! - it was encouraging for me, absolutely. Teaching was perhaps the only job where I really felt 100% comfortable, because I knew how to do it, somehow. I never trained as a teacher, I just tell people what I know, and if they don't get it that way, I show them. It's pretty simple, yet there were a great number of students who would come to me from other classes - students whom I did not know - and ask for my help, because they'd heard or seen the results from my students. This was kind of baffling, and I couldn't understand why or how their teachers led them astray - or, more often than not - let them do "whatever" and figure it out on their own. How could they not see that the students needed them so much? I would never, ever refuse a student help, no matter what. I may have been a little goofy with my impersonations and silly humor, but in the end, everyone knew I was serious about painting and drawing, and that I was always looking for results. The students knew this was a fair practice, because they saw that I demanded no less from my own work.

The problem with teaching was (and still is) money. I could never make enough doing it full time to support my family, and I had to take a corporate gig. Had I gone for my MFA, I would be the Chair of Illustration at NHIA in Manchester, no question. That may have been okay financially, but in hindsight, perhaps it was best I moved on when I did. And frankly, the only place where I would even consider getting an MFA is the NY Academy of Figurative Art in Manhattan. Again, with a family of 5, how could this be done? And anyway, degrees mean very little when it comes to art, with the exception of educational job positions, apparently. No one asked to see my BFA for my current job, and I work in a full-on corporate structure! All they really cared about was the work. A piece of paper for which you paid 50k (or whatever) does not a portfolio make.

I have a lot to give, and I'd love to give it. I just want there to be some livable wage involved. It seems it's too much to ask for in the medieval hierarchy of education.

Reasons For the Figure

This is Reasons For Drowning, oil on panel 14" square. I did this for the Baroque/Classical group called Initial Ascent, and it is on the CD cover of the selfsame album title.
Here, I think, is an example of how the nude can really help convey emotion. It was imperative that the dark melancholia that pervades the music of this album come across on its cover. That was my assignment. Were just the landscape and sky depicted by themselves, I think it would fall short. There would be too much room for interpretation. It would be too open-ended and vague. The nude, pronate woman nails the whole thing, however: the vulnerability, the stillness, the very fact that you are unsure if she is alive -- it is an allegory that we can connect with, because of the nature of the figure.
Too often the nude is exploited for the easy thrill/shock via sexuality. This is akin to fast food; you can taste salt and fat and sugar easily - but where is the actual food? I this instance I would ask a John Currin (use Google image search, but beware): where is the actual art? Humanity needs to be lifted up again, a la the Renaissance. That is: artists need to depict the human figure in a way that elevates it beyond the base qualities of worldly existence. This has yet to be fully explored in a 20th/21st century context. There are a bold few who have done so, but it is not enough. It should really be a new movement. Too often has the figure been denigrated, in both low and high arts. The Divine that is in the Human Spirit can be captured in art. Why are we not seeing it? We need to see it, to have hope again.

This Seat's Been Taken

All 20 minute poses from Kelly. We drew her last night, too, and she is consistently excellent.

I was a tad late last night (5 minutes), and all the easels were taken. Alex set me up on a chair configured like a drawing horse, which was wonderful of her, but I truly prefer to stand. I can't get far enough away from the drawing while sitting down. I need to sight-size as a whole in order to lay in the initial structure. It is far easier to adjust one's drawing in the early stages.

This is why I used to make all my students stand when working from life. Some of them complained quite a bit, but when I did a demonstration, they observed my pacing back and forth from the easel, observing far more than mark-making in the initial lay-in of forms. Noting the successful results of a 5 minute drawing, with all the proper marks in place, I informed them that I would not have been able to execute as quickly if I couldn't see all the forms at once. I could not play one against the other in the context of the whole. This refers not just to the model, and not just to the drawing, but to both at once. This kind of objective seeing is the foundation of sight-size.

Regular Thursday Night @ drawing room

So, here's Alexis in charcoal, done at drawing room. From the top, the poses are 5, 10, 10, 15, 15, 20, and 20 minute poses. The two 15's are actually 10's with some touch-ups while the model was on break. Yeah, you're not really supposed to do that, but I just felt I had enough info to make some improvements.

I usually try for at least one portrait each session. It's a challenge to really capture a likeness with some quality. I am always happy when I can do that. I think I really got it in the last one - and I wouldn't say that if it didn't really capture Alexis. She's an artist herself, and I think this really helps, as she is very aware of what we, the artists, are getting from her. It's great, and I believe it leads to much higher-quality poses, better energy from the group, and a more natural flow in the drawing process.

Quick Portrait

Molly in 20 minutes in charcoal. Done at drawing room.

Just wanted to put this up, because I like it, and Molly was a great model. I hope to work with her on some future project.

I have to catalog more drawing room stuff this weekend. That way, someone other than me can see it!

No Present Like the Time

A little life drawing for you. This is Ida in an Eames Chair, 14"x17" charcoal on paper. This was done in Joe Begnaud's studio a while back.

Been a while since the last blog entry. I had the chance to browse a few blogs, and I realize that the most successful ones are the ones that are updated more regularly. Well, I never set out to win any awards with this thing.

So, a lot happened in the interim: I had to go to New York, as my father had to have open heart surgery, and at the same time, my brother-in-law became a first-time dad. So, the visit was kind of an emotional rollercoaster. I also got sick with an ailment that seems to have visited most of the people I know including my family, my co-workers, and basically anybody I run into on the street in Portland. I had a birthday, and I also played two league matches to start the men's 4.0 season. All those things combined served to kind of run me down so that I fell ill again, or perhaps, I relapsed from the first illness. It was only yesterday that I really started feeling like myself again.

I missed a week at Berehaven, but I'm making good progress, still. Gnomon is nearly complete, and it looks like I had envisioned it. There was a small issue of the earth tones in the shadows sinking in, but I hit the completed sections with retouch varnish, and I was able to match the adjacent areas. I actually (geek) made a little diagram to remind me what I varnished, so I can apply retouch to the rest of the piece when it is done, so that the varnish surfaces and gloss are even. I kind of forgot that this happens when you work big. It's been a while, and I'm glad I'm doing this, regardless of the time factor. I won't be working this size for a while, as most of the ideas I have are for smaller pieces.

drawing room was excellent this week, with a model I had not met yet. She was graceful like a dancer (I suspect she was a dancer), and had a lovely poise. I hit the mark a few times that night, so I was pleased. I haven't taken pictures of the drawings from that session, but I have some from other sessions. I may post them here, but I think I might hold out until I get this website thing underway. Yes, I will have a site again, finally. It's a long time coming, but the priority wasn't that high when I first started the full time job. Now that I'm back painting my own work on the side, it's time to market it a bit.

I have a big trip planned for the Spring. Details soon.

Covered in Titanium White

...At least, with all the snow we've been getting, it's a rather monochromatic palette outside. A snowblower would have been a good investment this year. Instead, I have an aching back and two broken shovels to show for winter's crystalline precipitation.

Progress on "Gnomon" is good. I knocked in the sky this Saturday, which I'm happy about, as studio time began late because I took the family to DeLorme. I'm a bit of a geek about maps, and the kids have a bit of a penchant for it, too. Plus Eartha, the 42-foot working globe is cool for just about any kid. Anyway, I need to spend more time in the studio other than Saturdays, if I'm to get anything done in a timely fashion. This Thursday may be a good time, as drawing room is booked for the next 2 Thursday nights. *edit* Okay, since I haven't actually posted this yet (it's now Friday the 15th) I can say that I did work at Berehaven this Thursday. In fact, I was there ALL DAY! It snowed yet again (apropos!). This time it was so bad during morning commuting hours, that I took the day off work. An excellent decision all around. I painted quite a bit, and ran into some pictorial problems in the water. I pushed one kind of resolution, but I'll have to go back and see if it worked. There are other solutions, so I'm not too worried.

So I was talking about life drawing before... I had intended to post something regarding drawing room specifically. It has really been a great find for me in a number of ways. The most obvious thing is the practical exercise of drawing the figure from life. It is truly the most demanding of artistic disciplines for the representational artist. To wit: if you make a mistake, even the non-artist will see it. It's not like a landscape where you can move a rock or opt to not paint a tree or some such. If you don't draw the model's nose, it will be missed. There have been not a few Thursday evenings when I've been quite mentally whipped from dealing with the artistic compromises I must make on the job. Honestly, all I want to do at those times is have a drink and watch a movie; a mental vacation, if you will. But, instead I go to life drawing and tighten my focus on my drawing: really observing and delineating shapes; moving from general to specific; and being as objective as possible. It's exhausting, but it's more like exercise in that there's a kind of creative endorphin rush, and I end up feeling 100% better about the state of things when it's over. Which is why I need it every week. I was able to sublimate this week with an impromptu visit to the studio, so I'm good for now. And tomorrow, I go back, which is excellent.

I've been quite stretched out over the past few weeks. Tennis on the weekends - especially mixed doubles - is too much. It's money and time, and not nearly enough exercise to show for it. I was actually undefeated this winter, but I can't say that it means anything to me. I obliged some friends and played on their team and I did my job. The team didn't make Districts, so I think we're done. And just when I thought things were going to free up, the Men's Leagues are starting in March. I have a certain obligation, so I guess if I get the call (and I will), I'll have to play. I don't know how to fit all this in so it doesn't create conflicts. Bleah.

Oh, I nearly forgot - I've met some great people at drawing room, especially Alex Rheault, the artist who is the lifeblood of the thing. She is awesome and full of great creative energy. I am very thankful for all her efforts. Also, I was re-acquainted with a young artist who is also a lovely singer, and sang for my good friend Phil when he was Choir/Music director at the Cathedral. She's diligently exercising her hands along with the rest of us on Thursday evenings. The models that Alex hires are very good, and there is one with whom I'd love to work in the future. She reminds me of Nelson Shanks' model, Sophia, with her very fair skin tones, full features and dark red hair. She's a painter as well, so that's a big plus. Another model was someone with whom I'd worked quite a bit at the Institute. She's very experienced, which makes it so much easier to draw, as you don't have to worry about the model's obvious lack of comfort, or the pose "sinking," and what have you. They're all very good, overall, and the variety of body types and level of quality poses is high - and again, I have Alex to thank for that!

This post meandered a bit, so I'm going to move on. I'll see if I can't post some life drawings on here. They're piling up - which isn't a bad thing.