Saturday, May 16, 2009

self portrait in blue

There are a lot of things in the works right now, but most of them haven't made it out of my head. Leafing through textile printing books, drinking up drawings, taking it all in.

Thinking about installations.

I mentioned this post in a recent blog, but I wanted to show some great pictures. I think the way art is displayed can be almost as important as the content because it creates a context for it and helps the viewer enter the dialogue.




I really enjoy portraiture, especially some artists working in that medium today. Artists like ashleyg make a stale portrait fresh again. I have always been drawn to the human figure in my own work, and especially the face.


Custom Portrait, originally uploaded by ashleyg.



I would really like to get back into drawing the figure, but I much prefer drawing from life and my subjects are few (I think husbands are harder to draw than friends). The best thing about art school is having friends who understand that you need them to pose for you and that you'll do the same for them if they can just stay still long enough.

One of my favorite portraits was incised directly onto a copper plate and etched.



I like the original line drawing best, but I don't have a scan of that right now.

My goal is to draw more from life, and to draw frequently. I think the hardest part of drawing from life is allowing the people you are drawing to know they are drawing you. It insights vulnerability on both ends. Working from photos is easier (and I do enjoy it), but working from photos makes me feel like I am drawing ghosts.

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