Three Days in May

 DAY ONE

Starting with lots of quickies:

Then on to some longer poses:

Keen to get the tinted charcoal out with poses reflected in the mirror:

Just could not resist the opportunity to engage with the concept that a solid can become a void. In the initial pose the model leans forwards, away from me, supported on to a high stool with her right hand on her left shoulder. My response to the immediate next pose was to select parts and place them within the space created by the outline of the first pose. Again I could not resist introducing her face profile to balance the first top-left face profile. To add to this spatial play of solid becoming void/space, she now looks out into the space beyond.

I enjoy randomly introducing parts of a pose with the anticipation that their juxtapositioning will produce unexpected but pleasing outcomes. On occasions I have adopted a strategy to help place the parts on the paper. Not sure why I felt the need, at this moment and on this occasion, to incorporate one of these strategies into my process. The A1 page is divided up and each receives a drawing of part of the pose. Two portrait format A3's take up the top half of the drawing. A third portrait format A3 takes up a central position. There is a landscape A2 in the lower part of the drawing. Finally, because I wanted to introduce the two feet these have their own horizontal rectangle. Not sure where all this gets me but I will be reflecting on this happening. In the past I have engaged in similar experiments by introducing circles and other geometries and within these frameworks I have place anatomical parts which have I have then morphed together to produce fascination outcomes.

DAY TWO

My Francis Picabia 'transparency' excursion:

DAY THREE

A painterly response (but with Derwent tinted charcoal and lots of finger work):

The final drawing during the afternoon of day three, and a return to my 'two-handed-finelinerpen-superimpositional-transparency' mode, for about two hours. I feel this brought the whole three day process of play and experimentation to a very satisfying conclusion. 

Where has all this taken place? 

I have been over to Niel Bally's studio in Talgarth, Powys with the wonderful model Annie.

[see Art Courses Wales tutored by Niel Bally:   https://artcourseswales.com]. Exceptionally talented life-drawers, usually a group of about eight, come from many parts of the UK and abroad to create a wonderfully creative environment. I love it. 

To complete this posting of drawings from the three days with Niel Bally I am including some from my A5 Notebook. These are quick reflective responses most of which happened as we all started to pack up and the model moved from quick pose to quick pose:

And finally, here is my drawing of the iconic pose from the work of the photographer Edward Weston.

 

Surreal with Shelley

This morning's 5 drawings. 

First is a compilation of parts from five 5 minute poses. 

Then 4 responses to the other four 30 minute poses. Shelley was in great form as she mainly stood on the plinth and leant back or forwards with the help of the suspended straps, with the exception of drawing three for which she was curled up way up in the air with the fingers of her right hand curled around her toes.

I had a really enjoyable morning! Thanks Shelley.

Me and Callie on May 11th

 

Some parallel images

I've just come across the photography of Louis Blanc and Jorg Heidenberger who in their own different ways produce images which I immediately relate to. 

Firstly, Jorg Heidenberger:

Now, Louis Blanc:

I do have this last image on my old Tablet, so I did notice it probably 10 or so years ago, I saved it, have looked at it every so often, and therefore it is likely to have been absorbed into my sub-conscious and just waiting to come out and influence my later works.

Evolving the special

May 4th with model Paul Boon at Paul Fowler's Pegasus Art in Stroud, England.