March 16th at Extreme Poses

Five 5 minute poses to start with, all in one A1 composition. Then four 30 minute poses.

I used 2B graphite pencils, only, in all responses this morning.  And started some hatching. This reconnected with former architectural sketching technique. I have occasionally been here before when life-drawing. Think I may indulge in this some more, next time, as it looks somewhat crude at the moment. However, within the 30 minute slot perhaps the model will be in the pose for perhaps only 25 minutes and my actual mark-making time is more like 20 minutes so everything that appears on the paper comes intuitively and spontaneously from within myself and very little is the product of 'sitting-back' reflective consciously considered thinking. So perhaps 'crude' is not an appropriate adjective to use as the quality of the hatching lines is not actually thought about at all. In other words I am not in any way claiming that my marks are the product of a consciously applied skill.......they just appear. But then, I would claim that this applies to most of my drawing.

March 9th at Extreme Poses

Looks like a continuation from last week, i.e. a number of varying responses, no observable theme being followed, me in a very relaxed state with no aim other than to start drawing and seeing what emerges. I do recall a thought however, which was that I just wanted to enter my process in a carefree way and to enjoy what happened.

I suppose I ignored the model's 5 five minute dramatic gestural poses which were quite a challenge for her to maintain (even for 5 minutes) and quietly got on with drawing the part of each pose which I was attracted to, and gradually a sort of narrative emerged which I then developed, e.g. a suspended foot (top right) was later balanced with a suspended hand (top left), a gaggle of six breasts juxtaposed themselves on the left of the composition, a pronounced set of vertical features aligned themselves together to form a central spine to the composition, the emerging central focal area became emphasised by my introduction of the side profile of her face in the final minute or two. 

All drawn with a 2B graphite pencil in each hand.

A fairly abstract outcome. I know what the pose was but not necessarily for the beholder to work it out. We see two feet up in the air supported on suspended straps, and down the bottom we see a hand cupped over the edge of a plinth. 

Fine-liner pens, graphite pencils and Derwent tinted charcoal.

The full form of the single outline of her bottom filled the paper, so when her arms and legs were introduced these had to start and therefore seem to emerge from within the original form. I find it interesting how each limb has adopted its own particular relationship with its spatial context and with the original outline of her bottom. Let me explain: the extended left leg is contained within the outline of the upper part of her left thigh; Similarly, the right leg is within the outline of the underside of her right thigh; the left arm extends out into space beyond the initial drawing, whereas the drawing of her right arm is contained within and therefore framed by the lower back of the initial drawing.

I've done this before. So have I withdrawn into my comfort zone? Don't think so, as when I bring close together, and morph, the outline profiles of the two sides of the pose (missing out the bit in between), something unexpected always seems to result. Even if its simply a weird form. Here also the horizontal leg asks the question how is this part of the pose. It was, but even I am now unable to recall exactly how it relates to the two sides.

And for the final 30 minute pose our model (in response to popular demand) attempted to recapture one of her early demanding 5 minute 'dramatic gesture' poses. She held it for perhaps 8 minutes or so until she had to reposition parts of her body. Later she again undertook a slight repositioning to something which was more comfortable for her. I love this animated posing, but what it did mean is that with each move that which had already gone into the drawing didn't make sense to the new drawing which was appearing. At one point I only saw chaos in front of me portrayed in the space within my paper. I instantly recalled a recent posting in which I had talked of a new language of 'irrationality, infinity, chaos and insolvability', (at this point I opened my note book to check on these terms and my observations to myself made at the time) and here it was, right before my eyes, but 'What Do I Now Do With It?' now that I am confronted with it? But I am not being confronted 'with' it, 'cause I am part of it. I am in it. What is taking place is part of a process, and I am a 'process artist'. So the end has not been reached, there remains 5 to 10 minutes of the overall 30 minutes of this final pose. And I just went into my drawing with a form which was dominant in my perception at that moment, I guess with the intention that it would bring calm out of chaos, and clarify any insolvability which may confront the beholder, and this form was of her, on the edge of the plinth, with the underside of her left thigh filling the paper and I introduced some tinted charcoal tonal work to help this stand out from, and hopefully reunite, the irrationally related other parts of the pose.

Different responses to Shelley

Here are my drawings from the first life-drawing session following my period of reflection, the notes of which I posted earlier (see: 'I Think therefore I Look')

It was most fortunate that Paul Fowler had arranged for Shelley to be the first model of this current set of Thursday mornings. I say fortunate because as I have discussed on more than one occasion I believe, in fact I know, that the dialogue between myself and Shelley, i.e. between 'artist' and 'muse' is special. So, having carried out a deep self-analysis about my art, and its place in my life, I felt a huge sense of unconstrained freedom and was ready to burst forth with a new set of steps to create the next length of pathway in my life-drawing journey. With Shelley there could be no barriers to cross. 

So here we have the usual five drawings of five 30 minute poses. I have my palette of: A1 cartridge paper portrait format, two fine-liner pens, various grades of graphite pencils in pairs, a set of Derwent tinted charcoal blocks, me sitting at my easel (so I am low, plinth eye level and often looking up at the suspended model). I am unable to recall the sequence I produced the drawings, the order of which may or not be significant, but it is clear that I must have been interested in exploring different permutations of my mark-making media, or maybe it was that each pose provoked in me a different response.

A Post-reflection response: Any change?

This morning was the second life-drawing session after my reflective moment which I recorded in my previous posting (The first session with Shelley our model I have yet to photograph and post). Too early to analyse the outcome. My first impressions, and I did discuss this with Paul Fowler, after drawing number three, is of a renewed and possibly different sense of 'spatiality'.

This first drawing is not particularly relevant to my current analysis as it is the product of five 5 minute poses and not a response to a whole single pose. It is therefore a kind of 'collage'. It may say something, but I will wait and see.

'I think therefore I look'

I'm sort of responding to Rene Descartes who in his Discourse on Method 1637 announced "I think therefore I am"    But I didn't always analyse, be self-critical, attempt to categorise, place into context, that which was appearing on my canvas. The early years of my life-drawing journey were all about finding out. I then entered a period of standing back and seeing what was taking place in my life of life-drawing, which allowed the formulation of a personal framework and intellectual structure from which I now pursue and evolve my idiosyncratic relationship with, and response to, the human body. 

This blog records my consistent attitude of reflection, and has highlighted moments when I feel breakthroughs have taken place, when new responses have occurred , when the unexpected has challenged. 

Last Saturday evening I was driving the 100 miles back from the West Midlands following a win by my football team. So I was feeling good. On the car radio I tuned in to Radio 3 Jazz. Rebecca Nash, composer, pianist, singer, featured and spoke about her art. At its core was the establishment of an intellectual framework that provided a structural platform from which she and her musicians could respond in their own spontaneous and idiosyncratic way. 

This struck a chord with me. 

I immediately related to this concept. Had I not been through and experienced this exact process? Not suddenly, or even over the past three or four years, but as a phase within the overall changes of my fourteen or so years of my life-drawing journey. On arriving home I entered some thoughts on this in my note book. Over the next few days I engaged a reflective mood. I scrolled back through my hundreds of drawings on my blog. 

What emerged? 

A THREE PHASE construct. An attempt to describe changes in the qualities and character of my art, but more particularly changes in me, my approaches, the ways I have responded to those very special moments of engagement with a muse and how the artist/muse dialogue has become deeper and so special.

So, here goes my initial and draft THREE PHASE history:

PHASE ONE

experimentation

discovery

what is life-drawing?

how to represent the nude?

what materials?

whose art appeals to me?

PHASE TWO

defining my art

a language and descriptive vocabulary

classification

alternatives defined and categorised

genres, movements, artists to relate to

an intellectualisation

an established framework

rules and ways become embedded in my sub-conscious

skilled tools

PHASE THREE

(I am now well into it)

spontaneous response

unplanned outcomes

framework: i.e. materials, process/variables, are rarely thought about or varied

no thought whatsoever of end product 

no thought of the process ahead....... I JUST START

Phase Two has enabled me to THINK about my art. Having this ability has enabled me to SEE what I am looking at. Hence: 'I THINK THEREFORE I LOOK' becomes an amazing platform for penetrating deeper into understanding my perceptual processes, but probably what is more exciting is my increasing understanding of, and engagement in, the artist-muse dialogue, and how the depth of this dialogue impacts my drawing.

Postscript: 

I recently read about Tracey Emin, that her art is constructed, therefore SHE IS HER ARTWORK. 

I believe that as I am now truly into my Phase Three I can claim that 'I AM MY ARTWORK'