Following on from my previous post I don't think anything significant happened as a result of my reunification with the Greek. I had probably already been imbued with his influence so far back in my youth that input from his art has become fundamental to mine. However, on Monday evening's virtual life session organised by Andrew with himself as the model there was a change from the usual format. Andrew introduced a mirror in which of course the pose, or parts of the pose, were reflected. A mirror is not a new item for me. Perhaps the most memorable occasion was over in Talgarth at Neil Bally's studio where the lying model posed between two huge mirrors so that we had three figures to respond to. I recall this very well because I am certain it projected me into my Cubism, which I define as 'looking at a model from a number of different viewpoints simultaneously'. When space in a life venue allowed I would move my easel around the model, sometimes into more than two positions, and include all the viewpoints in one drawing. Morphing and overlap came out of the different juxtapositions that emerged on the paper, which have now become regular aspects of my drawing language.
So here are last evening's output. We had 3x5minute poses (which are included in the first two drawings) followed by 2x35minute poses. As is usual I am starting with a graphite pencil in each hand and mark-making with them simultaneously, then entering a single dominant handed process in order to refine the forms and to give any emphasis where desired.
There is no mirror in the first drawing. When the frame is included, and I have claimed this on a number of occasions over the years, I believe the straight line provides a powerful geometric contrast to the organic nature of the lines of the body and enhances them. At Paul Fowler's 'extreme poses' in Stroud the inclusion of a line of a plinth or a supporting strap was something I regularly exploited.
So, some interesting variables were present: El Greco, the mirror and a virtual life drawing venue. Let's see if wecan detect any influence from any one or all three?
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