Life Drawing: Male Model

As much as I'd love to master painting, I do love drawing the figure ... especially from life.

Today I pulled out a few pastels in the last hour of David Fox's life drawing class, and look what happened:)

'Friends Walking on Quogue Beach': Drawing

While cleaning my studio, I found this old drawing. I don't remember making it (colored pencils!?), but the subject is unmistakeable: my husband Steve, friend Roger, and Roger's dog Jake, on a summer day in Quogue.

Fast forward 10 years: Steve and Roger, still friends. Roger's beach house soon to be sold. Jake, his beloved tibetan terrier -- gone to the great beyond. The beach, of course, is timeless.

This drawing reminded me of something Andrew Lattimore said recently. Our drawings and paintings may not be great art. But in the future, someone will see it and say "Oh, this is what life was like back in 200x".

So we draw, we paint, we document the way things are. And we leave something behind that shows we were here. I like that.

Study: 'Maeve' (16" x 20" Oil Portrait)

Today's model was had striking red hair, fair skin and pale blue eyes. I didn't do her justice -- hope she returns, so I get to paint her again!

Contemporary Painting Workshop with David Fox

In David Fox's workshop at the WCC Center for the Arts in White Plains, we painted with house paint, on extra large sheets of cardboard. The figures are HUGE (4' x 6') ... so much fun!

Study: 'Kyle' (16" x 20" Oil Portrait)

At the Rye Art Center, instructor Ismael Checo walks around and immediately spots what needs work. "The ear should be a little higher", "make the shadow on the nose a little more angled", "add more values to show the different planes of the face" ...

Today, I actually got a pretty good likeness.