Davida Schulman: Content Driven Art

This is the fifth and final reclining pose we will have for a while. The challenge of reclining poses is their compact horizontality. How to resolve the space around the figure is the problem.

This beautiful model lay on pillows and shear fabric. When I painted the sheer fabric with a hint of the pillows under it it reminded me of water. Then the surface of the model stand was painted to resemble water surrounding her as if she was on an island outcrop.

I had to figure out what to do with the top portion. I needed to kill all the white of the panel so I covered it with a graded green. The green was so right with the red hair. I had thought to invent a pattern but changed my mind. I took a cue from painting of the last post and thought, "Why not a green sky?'

Then I thought to continue the water theme by placing a horizon line behind her with a suggestion of water or land or whatever the viewer might conclude. The ambiguity of it appealed to me. The lonely, featureless aspect also interested me.

I have the feeling there is something more important going on here that may go beyond technical concerns or the exercise in invention. I just have to think about it more. Stay tuned.

Third to the Last Painting of the Year

2012-01-07T17:51:00.000-06:00

Vintage Tablecloth

Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"

This my last oil painting of 2011. Oil painting is the specifier. The last two paintings posted were watercolors. The model is reclining on a table cloth that belonged to my mother. It is only card table sized but I have made it much larger than it actually is by having it cascade across the background. I then placed everything on a night time Lake Michigan beach. It is almost pure fantasy.

Reclining poses are a challenge in several ways: foreshortening is always an issue; resolving the entire space containing a compact horizontal figure is another. Making stuff up solves the latter while pure struggle solves the former. My mother's table cloth was an inspiration. It helped a lot with the still very saturated colors of its flower pattern. I had placed a deep blue ground into the upper part of the painting just to kill all that daunting white of the canvas. That was for the first session. Then I created the cascade in the second session. The paint was dry which allowed for the application of all that white without it getting contaminated by the background blue.

Second to the Last Painting of the Year

2012-01-01T23:34:00.002-06:00

Channeling Matisse

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 10.5x15"

This watercolor was done yesterday just preceding the painting which was the subject of my last post. Watercolor is so much faster than oil painting that I could get two paintings out of one session.

I have been a long time admirer of Matisse who, with Picasso, constituted half of the two greatest painters of the first half of the twentieth century. Painting (to my mind, unfortunately) has been supplanted in the high art world by installation. I appreciate really good installation but, there is so much that is mediocre that I walk away with a "so what?" and a "ho hum" more times than not.

I am skills based painter who loves pattern and color. As a consequence I have always gravitated towards Matisse. His pattern and color is so masterful that he has become a standard for painting for me. One of my favorite paintings of his is The Moorish Screen which is housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I had only seen it in reproduction until about ten years ago when I saw it at the museum. It is a most gorgeous painting!

I was thinking of one of his paintings when I put the red patterned background into this painting. It was a piece of fabric in the studio that provoked the idea. I seem to channel Matisse often. I couldn't emulate a better painter. Thank you Mr. Matisse.

Last Painting of the Year

2011-12-31T23:01:00.001-06:00

Sleeper

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 7.5x10"

The last painting of the year is a watercolor. This was done in the last hour of our Saturday session. I haven't done much figure work with watercolor this year. The reason there is a watercolor now is that we had a model today on New Year's Eve for one session only. Not enough time for a 16x20" sized linen panel that I usually work with. So watercolor was the choice for today. I also reverted to a palette that I had put aside for some new quinacridones. The quinacridones didn't provide the variety of opacity and granulation that I like so I came back to my old friends. I am much happier for it.

The second to the last watercolor of the year will be posted tomorrow or Monday. The family is coming tomorrow for a New Year's Day gathering. So I may be too busy to post.

In the meantime: A Happy, Healthy, Loving, and Prosperous New Year to all.

More Thinking Out Loud

2011-12-18T17:55:00.001-06:00

Paul with Bones

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5"

I always talk or, in this case write, about whatever project I might be working on. When I was in graduate school and had a paper to write, I'd talk about it. I drove everyone crazy with the obsession of the moment. But I knew if I could talk about my topic in a coherent way, then I could write about it in a coherent way. This post and the previous post are exercises of a similar nature. I'm working out my next semester life drawing class on my blog. That's what blogs are for aren't they?

So what comes after a quick gesture drawing? More of the same but with the addition of a wider context. That means developing a pictorial space. Give the person or objects drawn a space in which they can reside. If you are skilled in drawing quickly that can happen in a very short interval. This drawing was done in about 20 minutes.

When in class, I have the model gradually take longer poses. Over a fifteen minute time period the pose will last 15 seconds and be extended to 30 seconds. The next fifteen minute period might have the poses begin with 30 seconds and end with 1 minute. You get the picture. So this was done late in the class session and we had graduated to a full 20 minutes. By that time, the surroundings can be included with some detail. The surroundings, especially on what the model is resting, should be included in a single gesture at the very beginning of the drawing. I draw with my students to keep myself from hovering. I remember having teachers hover over me while I was trying to draw and how unnerving that was.

This was done from the classroom desk in a position to the extreme right of the model. I included my best classroom assistant—Bones. Not only is the skeleton evocative but he is a reminder to all that people have bones and joints.

Preparing to Teach Life Drawing

2011-12-14T12:21:00.002-06:00

Gesture Drawings

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5"

The semester has just concluded and I have posted my grades. I am already thinking about next semester. I am teaching life drawing. I have only taught it twice before. I have been teaching beginning drawing for eleven years so the tinkering for that is minimal. Life drawing is another story. I don't have a very structured approach for that. I usually go into class with something planned but it seems I have so many deviations from the plan that the plan is moot. So much of it has to do with the group dynamic, or the needs of some individuals, that making changes quickly to meet them is required. So I am thinking about plans now hoping I can make some alterations in advance so I do not to have the feeling that I am flying by the seat of my pants.

The drawings you see above are gesture drawings. They are usually done quickly to begin every figure drawing. These were all done in three minutes or under. Sometimes they are done in seconds. The faster the better. It prevents second guessing oneself. All the necessary information is there with the model. Not having time to be self-critical allows one to draw what one sees not what we know is there. It's visual thinking not verbal/analytical thinking. Yes, the drawings can be crude, but the action is generally very well expressed despite the crudeness. It's not necessary to show what the person looks like. What that person is doing is essential. The particular characteristics of an individual are refinements which come later.

The term gesture refers to the gesture of the model (what he is doing) and to the gesture of the artist as recorded by the marks which make the drawing. Both come together to make the individuality of the drawing. This is not an academic approach which emphasizes careful proportional measurement and analysis. The quick gesture usually gets the proportions just right at the outset. As soon as one neglects to do the quick gesture, the proportions fall apart. As soon as I allow more time, students will neglect to do the gesture thinking that quick drawing is not required and their careful attention to detail is the better approach. The results generally show how unhelpful an approach it is. After all what do I know? I am only the teacher and I'm only a geezer who's been doing this for more years than I care to admit. Sooner or later they will realize that I did have some wisdom to impart.

Traffic

2011-12-03T21:21:00.001-06:00

Green Wall Paper

Oil on Panel, 11x14"

This is a one session painting. That is why it is smaller than my usual 16x20" sized paintings. The extreme foreshortening is a direct result of unexpectedly heavy Saturday morning traffic. Traffic around the Chicago area can be horrendous especially during rush hours. We often say we have two seasons: winter and road construction. Well, I encountered road construction. It made my trip a nightmare.

I live outside the city and when I come into the city it is usually for the Saturday painting sessions. If I leave the house around 9am, I have no problem getting to the studio on time. But the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT also known as IDIOT) decided to close two of the three lanes on the my route to the studio. I had to take the labrynthian way to pick my way around traffic that had been diverted off the expressway (express my tush!). I even left the house earlier than usual and still got there a half hour late.

In addition, the group was larger than usual. It's first-come, first-served in staking out a spot for painting. This view was all I could choose. Reclining poses are challenging enough, but when they are as extremely foreshortened as this well, sheesh! At least it was Janet of the red hair and porcelain skin.

So even with three paragraphs of whining, I think this came out OK. A likeness was out of the question because of the view and the time constraints. The green wallpaper is a total invention that goes well with the red hair. The quality of light is to my liking as well. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Red Shoes

2011-11-19T15:54:00.001-06:00

Ruby Slippers

Oil on Linen Panel, 20x16"

This is the third painting I have done of this woman. She is one of those little gals and presents the same problems that I mentioned in the previous post. She is a challenge to anyone trying to capture her likeness. She has very refined, small features which for my geeza (old) eyes are difficult to see. It seems the third time is the charm.

She wore very red, sequined shoes and a single satin, burgundy red glove for the occasion. Hence the painting's title. I don't know if she was thinking of Michael Jackson when she selected these props or not. But I think the bizarre combination makes for an apt comparison.

It was amazing how much red was reflected from those shoes. You can see it in the tones under her left thigh, on her abdomen and under her chin. I think the shoe sitting right at the edge of the canvas gives a kind of cartoonish feel in keeping with the Michael Jackson reference.

The Problem With Little Gals

2011-11-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

Dainty Woman

Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"

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This lovely young woman posed a real challenge to my observational skills. It seems dainty, willowy women are the most difficult to capture. Abundant women, like this woman, are no problem for me, but the little gals are difficult. I struggled under what I perceived to be time constraints, though, the time allotted was exactly as it usually is. I was very happy just to have been able to work up the facial features. So some other things are not quite right.

There is a lot right about this painting. I am satisfied with the knees, her right arm, her likeness, and her skin tone. The patterns are fine too. A problem area is the upper body which needs refining. Another problem is her left arm. The contour is too rigidly straight and looks a little stiff. I may be able to address that. I usually do not go back into a figure painting without having the model present. I could really make a mess of it if my memory and my color mixing are not spot on.

Some Paintings Must Wait to Be Finished

2011-10-25T18:20:00.001-05:00

Waiting for Additional Imagery

Oil on Panel, 14x11"

As the post title states, some paintings must wait to be finished. This will remain in that category until I recycle it or until I add additional imagery. It's a one session piece done just after my open studio. It's not close enough for a cigar. I have a back log of these waiting for a long stretch of uninterrupted time for completion. I will experiment with different combinations until something clicks. Until then this and the others will remain in storage until I transform them. More to come.

Archaic Smile

2011-10-15T18:18:00.004-05:00

Archaic Smile

Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"

This is the fourth time I have painted from this model. It is the first time I have come close to a likeness in any way. And still anyone who knows her would furrow a brow and shake a head with a decided "No." Each person is a challenge to my observational powers but I have really struggled with her. She has this uncanny ability to hold a smile while she is modeling. I don't know if that's part of the challenge, or if I should just ask her to relax her face, or her features just too difficult to discern well.

The dark cloth to the right was a piece of black velvet. It absorbs light nearly completely so I invented the tracery of branches and leaves to help bring it a sense volume and to carry the green from the left side across the painting. The green is also a foil against which the red tones of the figure and her lingerie can contrast. It make the reds seem more intense. The blue cloth under her right arm serves a similar function against the orange-y tones of the fainting couch and the warm tones of her skin.

That smile she holds is just like the archaic smile of sculpture from pre-classical Greece. Every figure, whether it is of a dying warrior or a maiden holding a pomegranate, has this stylized smile. No one knows exactly what it means. I have read that it may mean the person is in optimum health or is in a state well being. I don't know how that applies to a dying warrior. It could also mean that the person depicted is in a state of grace, at one with the world, or experiencing a total acceptance of one's condition.

I am going to put on my archaic smile and admit that this is as good as it's going to get and move on from here. Having gotten the likeness I did makes me happy enough and those of you who have not met her will find it quite believable.

Twenty Minutes to Go!

2011-10-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

The Tenth Annual Northeast Wisconsin Artists' Studio will begin in twenty minutes and I am all ready. The snacks are ready to be put on the table. The artwork is displayed. My studio will probably not be this tidy again until next year's tour. I will keep all my followers posted with pictures as the weekend continues. But, if it's really busy it may have to wait until the event is over.

Extravagant

2011-09-24T22:03:00.004-05:00

Extravagant Woman
Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"

I have several paintings with this woman as the model. She is a woman with an extravagant body. She is just as extravagant in height, nearly six feet tall. She has a personality to match. She is intelligent, possesses opinions that are well informed, and a lexicon of emphatic mannerisms to make her points. We have had to discipline ourselves in the talking department in order to keep her still. If the conversation gets too animated no one can take artistic advantage of having a model.

It's a sacrifice for our very talkative group. New members have left in disgust because they could not tolerate our chattiness. Too bad for them. It's a condition for membership. If one wants silence, then stay in the studio. Part of the fun is the sociability of the banter of like-minded friends. Besides, when it gets challenging, we all shut up.

I too, possess a similarly extravagant body. I have made self-portraits in the nude that have received both positive and negative receptions. I had e-mails from one woman who was deeply offended by my "grossly overweight body." She advised me to keep my "images to myself and not assail her or anyone else with such offensive images." I wonder, would she have the same reaction if she happened to encounter me in the produce department of the local super market? Would fat people have to drink from separate drinking fountains or limit their time in public to the middle of the night so that she would not have to endure something so offensive as me or the very vibrant woman in my painting? To all who are offended by heavy people: Get over it! It takes all kinds of people to make a world so go suck a rock! I hope it tastes horribly bad!

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

The Best Way to Spend a Saturday

2011-09-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

Fainting

Oil on Canvas, 20x16"

Our group painting studio has had a three week hiatus. We just resumed our regular sessions today. This had been quietly drying in the racks for the whole time. This model is tiny, about 4'11'' with dainty features. I think for that reason she was very challenging to paint. It's the second time encountering her. The results of the first encounter is here.

She is reclining here as she was before. This time on the fainting couch. I know she does not look as she has just fainted but it seems appropriate to the studio prop used.

I struggled so long with her facial features I didn't give other elements adequate attention. The details of the hand and the modeling of her breast do not have quite the same finish. Oh well! Maybe next time.

Remember the Northeast Wisconsin Artists' Studios Tour.

I've Been Busy

2011-09-07T21:07:00.003-05:00

School has started. I have been back to teaching since August 22. We had a family get together over Labor Day. That meant lots of cooking and visiting. A dear friend who is from Mexico and of Spanish descent brought all fixings for making a paella. She even brought her hand wrought copper paella pan. I acted as her sous chef. It was delicious. The wine flowed. We were well mellowed by the end of dinner. Then she and I sat back while everyone else cleaned up.

I am also getting ready for an open studio. I am part of a self-guided tour of the studios of northeastern Wisconsin artists. Hence the invitation above. I'm sure you will recognize some of the paintings. I do my own graphic design. I learned typography from a master. Thank you, Sally Bentley!

If you are in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area come in for a visit. The wine, cheese and fruit will be waiting for you.

Judge for Yourself

2011-08-06T20:27:00.004-05:00

Christine, Against the Mirror

Oil on Linen Panel, 20x16"

This is the same woman who posed for this painting. She is in front of an eight foot wide by four foot high mirror in the Saturday studio. (Actually it's Eleanor Speiss-Ferris' studio. Please look at her work.) She is a tall, willowy woman with a square jaw and an exotic look. She could be a fashion model but the fashion dictators would probably make her lose weight. She is very slender but not skeletal so the dictators would consider her to be fat.

I think it's obvious from this portrait the she is quite beautiful. I think I caught a more accurate likeness of her than in the previous work. So, dear viewer, you can judge the fact of what I consider to be her obvious beauty for yourself.

The Fabric Went Away

2011-07-30T08:26:00.001-05:00

Janet, Looking Sad

Oil on Linen Panel, 20x16"

I don't know why Janet looks so sad here. She didn't seem to be in a blue mood while she was posing. Maybe it was the patterned fabric removed from the scene that did it. I guess everyone else got tired of it a decided to replace it with a large plexiglass mirror. It's all fogged from improper cleaning so the reflections are not pronounced and it is tilted to reflect mostly the ceiling. So I am deprived of the pattern, color, and reflections that I love.

My palette is also much cooler. The only red is Janet's red hair and the pinks in her pale skin. The overall blue tones only exaggerate her sad expression in spite of the high key brightness of the thing. I can't figure it out. Maybe you, the viewer, can.

A Brilliant Recovery

2011-07-17T20:22:00.001-05:00

First Pose

Oil on Panel, 16x12"

This is the first of this year's flower pot deck paintings. I will be working in both oil and watercolors this year. This is the first oil painting of flower pot Giverny. It going to be quite a learning experience.

My plants got off to a rough start this year. We had a very cool, wet spring with frost well after the mid-May frost free date for Chicago. In addition, my deck rail pots had a fastening failure while I was away and the plants fell onto the deck. They laid on the deck for a whole weekend and became dessicated. When I re-potted them, they looked like sticks with few or no leaves at all. I didn't think they would make it.

But now look at them! They have made a brilliant recovery. There is nothing like a little TLC to make them come roaring back to life. Regular watering, feeding and gentle verbal encouragement and the results are quite beautiful even if I say so myself. More to come!

Another Back Yard Painting

2011-07-12T16:01:00.000-05:00

Into the Yard

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 15x10.5"

This is the view along the length of the fence seen in the painting of the previous post. Our yard slopes downward in the back of the house. This is looking down the slope while painting on the concrete deck. I was in almost the same position as the blue pot from the last watercolor. It's kind of an extreme position but an interesting one.

I think I have lots of paintings presented to me by my own back yard. It has been a theme the last two summers. It will continue with my mini-gardens growing in pots on my back deck. They are just coming into their own and ready to pose for a few paintings. Stay tuned…

A Hidden Surprise

2011-07-09T17:12:00.000-05:00

Back Yard Gate

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 10.5x7.5"

This gate is adjacent to my side door. There is an above-ground pool behind this lattice topped, wooden panel. There is a concrete deck with a stamped brick pattern to the right of the panel. It steps down to a wooden deck which partially surrounds the pool. The planter to the right is not actually blue but terra cotta. I made it blue because the painting needed blue. That terra cotta color is everywhere so the blue is a logical relief from it.

The last owner built the concrete deck with no railings for the 30" drop to the wooden deck below and no railings for the three steps down to the wooden deck either. In addition, he made the steps with pre-cast concrete blocks for making a garden wall. Each course has to be set slightly back from the one below. So there is a slight ledge as one is going down the steps that can easily catch a heel. I don't know how he got away with this stuff. Obviously he had no permit and therefore no inspection. These are safety hazards we will have to correct. I would be the klutz who takes the fall! So they are high on the list of changes when we live there permanently.

My New Back Yard

2011-07-07T20:23:00.000-05:00

Side Door

Watercolor on Rag Paper, 10x7"

lifeartist-davidaart.blogspot.com

This is the side door to my house in Wisconsin. I have been moving things from my Illinois house for a whole year now. My hubby and I are preparing our Illinois house for sale. It's very difficult for him because he is a pack rat. He has stuff from the year one. He just can't let things go. Or, he moves it and then decides he can live without it. It's totally bass-ackwards.

I, on the other hand, like to have all my ducks lined up in a row well before I need them. I go through my production for the year in December and throw out all the watercolors I think are not up to par. I also go through my supplies and determine what is still good to use and what is not. Then I throw the unusable things out. I also do not keep magazines more than three months. Old catalogs, phone books and outdated teaching materials also get the old heave-ho. As soon as I get that I'm-being- buried-by-stuff feeling I go on a toss out campaign.

With my husband's proclivities towards saving everything and my proclivities toward getting rid of what I haven't missed in the last year, we've teetered on the edge of divorce several time usually when we have had to move. However after 45 years of marriage I have learned how to choose my fights. I get rid of stuff when he isn't around. He never knows its gone.

Painting Outside

2011-07-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

Bay Shore County Park

Watercolor on Rag Paper, 10x7.5"

lifeartist-davidaart.blogspot.com

This watercolor was done in the same location as the last painting. It actually came just before the last painting. I consider it to be a warm up for the last piece.

Went Out Painting Yesterday

2011-07-04T21:05:00.002-05:00

Susan, Painting

Watercolor on Rag Paper, 9.25x4.25"

I have had guests all weekend—some of whom are artists. Imagine that! We prepared for and had our holiday feast yesterday since almost everyone had to go home and be back at work Tuesday right after Independence Day and couldn't celebrate on the actual holiday. After getting the crucial items ready, my friends and I went out to a local park to paint. It was a lovely day for it.

My friend Susan has been my close friend for more than 45 years. I have known only my husband for a longer than she. We met as undergrads in college in the art department. (Where else?) Our art making has made the twists and turns mandated by life but, here she is painting and my model at the same time. We both had children and now they are all on their own. Now we can paint. You know, life begins when the dog dies and the kids move out on their own!

Would I change anything? No. My children are people who are a privilege to know for me and for anyone who meets them. They give me lots of nachus. (That's joy to those who don't have a smattering of Yiddish.)

Susan and I sacrificed our art to our families but neither of us would have sacrificed the opportunity to have had a family in order to make a career in art. It's a hard choice that women who have wanted to be artists have had to make for centuries. I am still the chief cook, laundry technician, and bottle washer around here so I am still not absolved of my domestic duties. Crap! I need a wife!

No Hair

2011-06-25T15:47:00.000-05:00

Shorn

Oil on Linen Panel, 20x16"

This is the same woman as the Pensive Woman from last January. She decided to shave her head as the mass of hair she had was becoming too difficult to maintain. It seems a rather extreme solution. At least she didn't do it between our modeling sessions.

She has a beautifully shaped head and having no hair makes it all the more easy to see and paint. I am very satisfied with this piece. I think the foreshortened arm looks sculptural and muscular in keeping with the female model. The patterns are related to the two previous pieces so I think they make a series.

I am back and forth moving furniture and kitchen stuff over the Independence Day Holiday so no posts for a while unless I can squeeze a painting session between moving, holiday guests, and cooking. Have a capitol Fourth everyone!

A Tip-of-the-Brush Flash Moment

2011-06-04T16:52:00.003-05:00

Janet of the Red Hair

Oil on Linen Panel, 20x16"

I just brought this home from the Saturday studio session. The final session with this beautiful woman was two weeks ago. I was away for last week's session. I think this painting solidifies my firm belief that having two sessions with a one week interval is a very good way to work. This had an inauspicious start. I had the made the head too large and for some inexplicable reason, I was just unable to correct it. The solution or, the look, just kept eluding me. The following week I walked into the studio and the solution presented itself to me immediately. Having not seen it or thinking of it for a week allowed me to see and comprehend what it needed. Then it was as if it had completed itself.

The only comparison I can make about that process is the tip-of-the-tongue moment when a name or fact cannot be brought to mind now matter how I concentrate my thoughts. Then hours later, without thinking, that tip-of-the-tongue item comes to me in a flash. With this painting it was a tip-of-the-brush flash.

I think that part of the problem is that Janet is so beautiful with her red hair and porcelain skin that I cared too much about the success of the painting. Caring too much dooms my painting to inevitable failure. I have to take my own advice, "Don't give a shit and the paintings will come out great." Well, great may be overstating it but, I think any of the painters and drawers reading this will know what I mean.

Bulldog

2011-06-02T09:37:00.003-05:00

Winston

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8x6"

Sleeping Spot

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 6x8"

I have been away for the Memorial Day weekend without my computer. I had to rely on an old Windows machine of my hubby's. (Blech! I hate Windows). It had some settings that wouldn't let me log in to e-mail or my blogs. I finally managed to see what had come into my e-mail account by way of my iPod. An iPod is not the easiest way to communicate by e-mail.

But now I can post a few drawings of an English bulldog owned by my son's sweetheart. His name is Winston after the famous Winston and he is a wonderful dog. Winston has claimed my son as his boy in the same manner as Peabody and Sherman. (If you don't get that reference your are too young.) Bull dogs look fierce but they are really very mellow and sweet. He was left with me and my hubby for the day and he became my model. He loved laying on the concrete floor in the garage because it was cool. My hubby enjoys having him around. He is a dog lover but can't have dogs because he so allergic to them. An occasional visit by Winston is perfect for a dog fix.

It seems that most of the people I draw on the sly are less likely to move around than this very mellow dog. He changed positions quite often. Hence the multiple views in the first drawing. The views were challenging because of all the foreshortening of body and paws. The second drawing was outside but I placed him on the rug at the front door which is a favorite spot of his.

Work in Progress

2011-05-25T13:12:00.002-05:00

Reflective Teapot
Oil on Linen Panel, 10x8"

This is not finished. I still have to correct the shape of the pot and I intend to change the color of the background. The reflections need some refining as well.

I swore I wouldn't do another self-portrait but here I am in my green t-shirt as a reflection in this teapot. I guess it's a stealth self-portrait. Reflective surfaces are not as difficult as most people presume them to be. They just reflect what is around them in a distorted way. The distortion make it easier to lie and still communicate the reflective quality of the object. By placing the striped cloth under the pot the pattern becomes an aid to seeing the distorted reflected shapes including my own.

I learned to do this while still in high school. It taught me how to see the abstract shapes and their relative values. If you are familiar with Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, you can see one of her premises at work. If you draw something that you cannot name except as a generalized category, like shape, then it becomes easier to draw. It suppresses the left brain function of language of categorization. These functions comprise the inner critic. The inner critic interferes with drawing by not letting us believe what we see. It makes us draw what we know to be there, not what we see. For example, I have students who will draw a table top when their eye level is too low to actually see the table top. When drawing something complex such as the distorted reflections of a shiny teapot, it forces the left brain critic to shut-up and let you draw. It allows one not to care about the result just the process. In other words, "The second you don't give a shit, the drawings come out great!"

I did a little further research into Betty Edwards' theoretical premises on right brain/left brain function and she is on the right track. Actually the ancient Greeks got it too. They said, " People are of two minds. One perceives the other understands." The left brain is a filing cabinet collecting the disjointed information it perceives. The right brain is more holistic providing a context for explaining the information. The right brain allows you to get a joke and to interpret the visual field. It allows for non-verbal, visual thinking.

Another Peculiar History

2011-05-14T16:24:00.006-05:00

Unadorned Yet, Adorned

Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"

This painting has a peculiar history similar to that of this painting. This image is the third incarnation. It started out very well with a white ladder backed chair in front of the sitter. Having to peek through the openings of the chair was interesting visually and spatially. But I couldn't come to the second session to finish. It would never have been completed.

The following session, with a new pose, was for one time only. So I decided to paint over the previous figure. I tried to merge aspects of the previous figure into the new image and create a composite abstraction. It was not successful. I think that's a venture requiring many drawings and paintings to master. So this horizontally oriented image is on top of that second, vertically oriented painting. I saved the striped pattern above this model's shoulders from the second painting. I then invented it in the other places where the stripes continue on the left and where the stripes appear as a fragment at the lower right.

Someone made the commented that she was unadorned. I thought she was adorned quite well just as she was. But I also thought, since I am such a freak for pattern and color, that the adornment should surround her. She would luxuriate in pattern and color while remaining unadorned herself. So I included the patterns of the fabrics upon which she sat and added a second layer of loosely painted stripes horizontally, behind the ochre and green stripes, at her shoulder level.

I am very pleased with this painting. There is a floating quality and at the same time she seems firmly anchored in a believable space. This is in spite of the fact that I am constantly nudging my students not to present me with floating figures!

Free!

2011-05-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

The Last Session

Watercolor on Rag Paper, 10x7"

Wednesday was the very last day of my basic drawing class. The Wednesday before that was the very last working session with a model for my life drawing class. This was the pose. The entire background is invented and comes from a piece of fabric I bought several years ago for still life painting. It comes in handy for draping the model too. In this instance it had been removed by a consensus of the class but its presence was still evident for me. Now for a busy summer…

The Day After

2011-05-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

God of War

Watercolor on Rag Paper, 8x6"

Last Monday was the day after hearing of Osama Bin Laden's death. No one in my life drawing class was anything more than relieved by the news and a little saddened by the memory of the attacks inspired by him. No over-the-top jubilation expressed by us. The seemingly endless violence in the world is something none of us wished to celebrate.

Our model, who is a former student of mine, suggested a martial pose. I said I wished we had an ancient Greek or Roman style helmet for that purpose. Then someone said a newspaper hat a la Napoleon might make a suitable substitution. All we needed then were some toy soldiers and toy tanks to acknowledge our sentiments for the occasion.

Hibiscus and Friend

2011-05-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

Waiting for a Summer Vacation

Artist marking Pen on Paper, 8x6"

This was done in my living room. My plants are as anxious to go out in some warm weather as I am. Only now is the weather moderating in anticipation of summer. I have canceled my arrangements to build an ark because it has finally stopped raining.

I am using some different materials for this drawing. I bought sepia, sanguine, and black fine tipped artists' markers. Supposedly they are permanent and light fast. It is a little more complicated using 3 different tones for a drawing like this so it takes a little longer to execute. This kind of limited palette is quite out of character for me since I love brilliant color. A change-up once in a while never hurt anyone. I think it stimulates some creative juices and exercises some artistic muscles.

Out of the Classroom

2011-05-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

Cabled Sweater

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

This is a second drawing from the hall in front of the sculpture garden. It's a much better rendition of the model's head and shoulders. He has a marvelous bone structure which makes him fascinating to draw. I find there is always something that makes someone interesting to draw. It's just the richness of human variety.

Out of the Classroom

2011-04-29T14:55:00.000-05:00

In the Hall

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

I took my life drawing class out of the classroom last week to work more on completing the pictorial space and observe the quality of the light. This hallway has a wall of windows that looks out on an enclosed sculpture garden. You can see a portion of a larger than life sized female nude just to the left of our model. I thought the contrast was a bit amusing. We can have nude sculpture but if I put a nude model in the hall I'd probably cause a riot and be fired. My next post will have a second effort with a much better likeness of our model.

I had been hoping the weather would be warm enough to go outside but it has been raining incessantly. We have had one of the rainiest Aprils on record. I thought it was time to start building an ark. Today, at long last, the sun has broken out to warm the day to 56ºF. It seems a little warmer just because of the sunshine. It is nearly May and it doesn't seem like spring. It has been that cold. Normal temperatures for this time of year are usually about 10ºF warmer. I'm going to the garden shop this afternoon to buy my plants for my deck garden this summer. I can't wait for some warmth and I want to be ready when the weather turns around.

Another Restaurant Scene

2011-04-29T13:08:00.002-05:00

Guys Out for Dinner

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 5.5x8.5"

I met some family for dinner a few weeks ago and, as usual, I got there ahead of them. So I took out my sketch book and proceeded to make this drawing. It's not complete in any way but I think it captures the ambiance of a bunch of guys out for dinner at a local restaurant serving Greek cuisine.

If you are ever in the northern suburbs of Chicago, look up Periyali's Greek Taverna on Milwaukee Ave in Niles. This is one our favorite family dining places. The food is good and reasonably priced with excellent service. The garden in the summer is beautiful. It's decorated with an abundance of blooming potted plants and well shaded tables. This is an unsolicited testimonial too.

Background Inspiration

2011-04-28T10:37:00.000-05:00

Drawing Session

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8/5x9.5"

This is another drawing in the no hovering series. Our model has her feet on a basketball mounted to a flower pot. It's an object used for our still life set-ups. Some students turned it into an earth globe and placed her among the stars. Invention then becomes a real part of the drawing process especially if you need to consider the space in which the model exists. Our drawing/painting room is multi-purpose making it difficult to dress the model stand for something other than a blank white wall. I used the pattern on the fabric draping the table to the left as my background but in a large scale.

It doesn't matter how well it works in the end. It's the inventive play that's the point of it. It's hard to convey that importance in a classroom situation that requires a grade. No one is willing to take a chance at failure in that situation. The real failure is in not taking the chance. There is growth in taking the chance. There is no learning without failure.

In Class

2011-04-26T18:08:00.000-05:00

Drawing from a Still Life

Graphite on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

I found this buried in my sketchbook. I don't know why I hadn't seen it. The pages weren't stuck together. It's one of my students from last semester drawing from a still life set up. It's probably from one of the first projects of the semester. They get to hate that still life. We use it a lot. It's such an elemental activity. All the old 19th and 20th painters went to the still life to work out new ideas. Think of Cezanne, Picasso, and Matisse. Cezanne worked out his color ideas with still life which led to Picasso's cubism. Picasso worked out cubism with still life and Matisse worked his brilliant color with still life also. They never excluded subject matter and they never eliminated the figure in their works.

Skills based art and easel painting keep getting declared dead but it keeps going on in spite of the declarations. I think human beings are too narcissistic to give up on representing themselves and their surroundings to totally abandon self imagery. We've been doing it for at least 40,000 years. Why should we stop now? The beat goes on.

More No Hovering

2011-04-20T19:23:00.002-05:00

Reclining

Watercolor on Rag Paper, 4.25x9.5"

My life drawing class is at a stage in which each student needs to be more self-directed. The model takes a pose for the entirety of the session. It is up to each student to select media and materials for the goals each has in mind. My goal for them is to produce a finished piece that extends to the full surface of the field and has a complete pictorial space. How they arrive at that state is their business. I have draw-ers, oil painters, and watercolorists. While I mind the timer, I work too. The model knows she is to take care of herself as we are so focused we'll let her suffer.

This my small watercolor for the session.

No Hovering, Again

2011-04-18T21:41:00.000-05:00

In Profile

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

This is another installment in the No Hovering series. These are on-going. I will do them as long as students need to be drawing in class and as long as I need to keep busy so I can stay out of their way. I keep a timer running so I don't get lost in the drawing and forget my responsibilities as teacher. I am teaching two extra days this week so I am going to be pooped by the end of the week. Posts will be fewer and farther in between. There may be a backlog of drawings posted later next week..

A Gorgeous Day

2011-04-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Green Print Drape

Oil on Linen Panel, 20x16"

Today, is the first day, in about six months, the temperature will reach 80º or higher. It 's now 80.7º I have already gone out for a walk and when I am done posting this will go into the yard and see to what needs doing for the spring. I am planning my deck garden pots for outdoor painting this summer. I am keeping the mini-Giverny theme going for another year.

This is my most recent painting from the Saturday group. I think the green of the drape goes with this fabulous spring day. My honeysuckle bushes are already putting out tiny green leaves. The forsythia bushes are getting ready to bloom. Unfortunately this temperature will not last for long as there is a 30º drop in temperature predicted for tomorrow. So I will savor the day as a portent of things to come. I am so ready for spring weather!

Variety is Spice

2011-04-09T16:52:00.001-05:00

Black Leather Corset

Oil on Panel, 20x16"

This young woman is in a relationship with this young man. He works on a tall sailing ship for tourists sailing from Chicago's Navy Pier. He dresses all year round like a pirate for that job which goes away during the winter months. This woman's striped stockings and leather corset are answers to the pirate clothes of her significant other. She has something of the look of the stereotypical spinster librarian which is accentuated by the glasses. Looks can be so deceiving.

No Hovering

2011-04-07T19:22:00.000-05:00

Clothed Model

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

Clothed Model

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

This is how I keep from hovering over students during life drawing class. For a life drawing class, I usually have more experienced students who can really sustain an effort in the studio. With rank beginners I have more hand-holding to do dealing with their neediness in their never before having a formal drawing class. I am much busier demonstrating, making rounds, and offering suggestions or encouragement. With my more experienced life drawers, I have to keep myself from doing too much of that. There is a fine line between being helpful and just being a pain in the ass. So I draw with them when they are busy observing and drawing the model they have before them.

On this occasion I had the model remain clothed so they could start to deal with the clothed human form. There is such a long history of figure study that it becomes difficult to move from study into the realm of art with a standard, posed studio nude figure. After all, we generally don't encounter people as we move about our everyday existence who just happen to be naked. So knowing how to draw the clothed figure in a real life context is a way to widen the possibilities for art.

This was in preparation for the following session in which we went out into the college lunch room with our clothed model and drew her in the lunch room surroundings which included the other people who were constantly moving about. It was a great exercise that produced some of the best work this semester.

Unwitting Subject

2011-04-01T10:04:00.000-05:00

Wi-Fi in the Coffee Shop

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

The last morning before our flight home my friend had a four hour sculpture workshop to attend for which I had no interest. So, I went out onto the street to seek other subject matter. I really needed a cup of coffee, so I went into the local coffee shop and found this man working on his computer using the shop's free wi-fi. He was remarkably still for this drawing. The big move he made was to take his hand off his knee under the table and place it one the table where it is is now in the drawing. You can see some indication of its original position under the pattern of his shorts. It was early on enough in the drawing process to make the change.

I had a conversation with him after I was done and he had had an inkling that I was drawing him but went on with his work just the same. One of the things he liked about Florida was the fact that he could get all his work done in his shorts and flip-flops.

Once I had done this drawing I went outside with my watercolor field kit and did a watercolor outside on the street. Then back to my friend's house for some last minute packing for the flight home. It was a very productive morning.

Watching Hockey

2011-03-30T16:32:00.000-05:00

Hockey Partner

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 5.5x8.5"

I have mentioned before that my husband is a rabid hockey fan. Well, the male half of the couple we visited in Florida is his equal in rabid hockey fanaticism. He can't get video of the local team in Florida so he set up a system whereby he can stream the games to his digital recording device and watch them the next day. It's really funny looking at the monitor in our living room knowing he is manipulating it for the next game while he is in Florida.

Here he is occupying the very same love seat his dog likes to sleep on while watching a hockey game he had recorded the previous day. Of course my hubby was right there with him every minute of the game shouting at the TV with every good or bad play or good or bad call.

Best Friend

2011-03-29T16:04:00.001-05:00

Favorite Love Seat

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 5.5x8.5"

On our Florida visit, we stayed with a couple who are very good friends. And so is their aging dog. She is a tripod. One of her forelegs was amputated due to a bone cancer. It was last year and, at the time, the vet recommended putting her down. My friends said no. Even though she was an older dog, there was no sign of cancer anywhere else and no sign of arthritis. And she never behaved liked an old dog. So the surgery was done and she has done very well over the year since it was done. Here is their best friend sleeping on a favorite sleeping spot.

End of the Event

2011-03-26T19:31:00.000-05:00

Bassist #2

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

This was the last number of the last set of the Humane Society Benefit. I had very little time to draw this last musician. This is all I could catch but I think I caught the attitude of the bassist's action. My gesture drawing caught the folds of the shirt on his right hand and something of his movement on the finger board. If I'd had more time I would have drawn something of the plaid in his shirt. That kind of detail will have to wait for another day and another post.

Drummer

2011-03-25T11:40:00.000-05:00

Drummer

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 85.x5.5"

This the drummer in the band from the benefit. I am presenting these in the order in which I drew them. All were done while the band was playing. If I began at the beginning of a set, I had more time and I could include more information. This was just before a break so I was limited by the length of the number. I did adjust the relative darkness of the tones afterword for a more complete value range but I did not add any objects.

Bassist #1

2011-03-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Bass Gutiarist

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

Here is the bassist from the country and western benefit. The artist sang for the benefit and so did the bassist. In fact I think they all sang either as soloist or as back-up. I did write that the music was great and I will write it again. The music was great.

Acoustic

2011-03-23T19:15:00.000-05:00

Acoustic Guitar

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

After we arrived at our destination and had a nap to remedy a night of little sleep, we attended a benefit with our friends. It was for the local Humane Society. It was a night of barbeque, country music, and line dancing. I decided to make some quick sketches of the musicians. This is the first of four drawings of the group.

These guys are the local rock band playing music of the '50s, '60s, '70s, etc. They were asked to play country and western for this event. My understanding is that they had to get together to brush up on the genre. I have to say they did an outstanding job. The music was excellent everyone had a great time.

Test of Character

2011-03-22T15:40:00.003-05:00

Waiting for a Canceled Flight

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

Flying for travel has become so fraught with stress that I'm thinking the train would be better. You might as well strip down to the skin for security to avoid x-ray exposure. Then there is the waiting. We had to fly into Miami International so we could fly back the way we came to get to our destination. The connecting flight was on time but the weather was so bad, the departure time kept changing by half hour increments. After nearly two hours of that, they canceled the flight and we had to stay overnight at a hotel near the airport. We had to wait another hour and a half for transport there. After 4 hours sleep, we headed back to the airport to wait another hour and a half to see if our stand-by tickets would successfully get us on our connecting flight. After some nail biting, two seats became available at the last minute.

This is a drawing of another passenger waiting for the flight to cancel. With nearly two hours of waiting, I was able to get pretty persnickety with the details. I think this captures the irritation of this woman as we both waited in vain for our flight.

Spring Break

2011-03-20T11:25:00.001-05:00

Waiting

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

If you visit my other blog, you'll see a watercolor from my spring break visit to friends in Florida. Here, I will post drawings made while traveling and drawings of just about anything that caught my eye while visiting.

This drawing was done while waiting to board our flight to Miami International and then connect with another flight to our destination. The hurry-and-wait of traveling can be exhausting. Added to that the security measures can be very irritating. Then there is the waiting to board an airplane only to be packed in like sardines. Air travel has become a test of character. More on that later.

For me the boredom of waiting is much relieved by drawing. I have my little sketchbook with me all the time for just such instances. I am also making drawings to show my classes the concept of completing an entire space and using the technique of massed line to create the values. (That's all the tones from light to dark. That's an FYI for the non-artists.) I have assigned drawings to my life drawing class with the goal of completing the pictorial space so I adhere to practicing what I preach whenever its possible. More to come.

Surprises

2011-03-05T17:18:00.000-06:00

On the Beach

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 10.5x10"

Since I had used watercolors for last week's painting, I decided to use it again this week. Oils work best for me over two sessions because of the drying issue. I find that I can go just so far with a wet painting and no further unless it's small piece. And even then there are refinements that I would have wanted to make with another session. Watercolors allow a completion in one session.

Well, as surprised as I was with last week's results. I was just a surprised with the difficulties I has this week. Hands were a particular challenge. I resolved one hand by cropping it right off at the right. It was extremely forshortened and I just couldn't get it right with all the slight changes in position that happen with each model break. Her left hand is only marginally acceptable. And this watercolor is a second attempt!

It's the same pose as before and the background was as plain so I invented the beach scene. I am going on vacation to visit friends near the beach so it has been on my mind. Voila!

A Watercolor

2011-03-01T16:12:00.001-06:00

Reclining

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 10.5x15.5"

http://lifeartist-davidablog.blogspot.com/

Saturday my husband and I joined our older son for a birthday dinner in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood for his sweetheart. It was also an occasion for meeting her family. (This could be big!) I got there first and had to wait an hour while the rest of our party was stuck in traffic. I just took out my sketch book. You can see the results here.

I arrived from the Saturday studio group as it is already in the city. So, in order to be neat and tidy for the occasion, I decided to bring watercolors for the modeling session. It's also a lot easier to clean up. This is the result. I am very happy with it and that surprises me since I have not been working with watercolors as much since I discovered water mixable oil paints.

We set up our fainting couch and she took this very elegant pose. The background of tree branches is a complete invention. This paper when wetted will sometimes result in unexpected blooms which look like snow flakes. Since I am sick of winter, I turned them into spring leaves and added the branches. I think it works!

Qualified Success

2011-02-18T21:08:00.000-06:00

Green Tam

Oil on Panel, 20x16"

Everyone who walks in our door to model for us on Saturdays has a certain degree of challenge when it comes to capturing a likeness. Some are more mercurial than others. This woman's look was very difficult to see and capture. She is a modern dancer and, as one can see by her torso, a physically strong woman. The fact that she took a standing pose for two sessions demonstrates that.

I took a great deal of care to catch her strength and then I was very challenged by time in capturing her facial features. Her red hair played so well against the yellow green of her hat. I just couldn't find the right strategy for depicting her eyes. I think I can make some correction but I don't think it will look like her when I am done. I don't think it will matter much unless the viewer actually knows her and knows who this is supposed to be. I will have to bring my binoculars out for the next time she comes. These geeza eyes will need them.

Flight of Fancy

2011-01-29T16:11:00.000-06:00

Patterns,
Oil on Panel, 20x16"

http://lifeartist-davidablog.blogspot.com/

This young woman has a square jaw and strong chin which emphasizes her beauty and gives her an exotic look. I don't know if exotic is even the right word. My mother always says "We all look just like ourselves!" And so I guess she looks just like herself.

She is very tall, lean and strong. When I decided to portray her at this scale, I had to deal with the considerable space to each side of her. The idea for the patterns sprung out of that problem. The patterns were elsewhere in the room and small so I decided to make use of them by enlarging them and elaborating on them. It was a lot of fun! The trick was to control the values and the color temperature so that her image did not get overwhelmed by the patterns. I think it needs some spots and jots of a cool green to bring it to life, color wise. I'll think about it.

Why Do I Do This To Myself?

2011-01-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

Reclining

Oil on Panel, 8x8"

This is a reclining pose from directly in front of me. What a difficult position! I have done foreshortened views before. It seems that I have never done one from so direct a position. Why do I do this?!

It is a kind of awkward painting. The portrait came out OK but I am not please over all. I don't know if it's the square panel or what. Maybe I'm just doing my own worst critic obsession routine. In the next few days I may not have any misgivings about this one.

This a one sitting piece. It had to be done in one session. If I had had a second session I might feel differently about it. Sometimes they workout and sometimes they don't.

Last Figure of the Year

2011-01-08T22:40:00.001-06:00

Pensive Woman
Oil on Panel, 20x16"

http://lifeartist-davidablog.blogspot.com

Here is a lovely young woman who loves to model for us. She appears in this painting. This is the last figure painting of 2010. I haven't been to a Saturday session since December 11 when I finished this painting. I returned to paint today and just retrieved this. I am very pleased with her expression. It captures an air of contemplation. I am also please with the color effect of the strip of green which is just yellow enough to set off the violet shadows and just green enough to set off the redder tones. Neither the reds or the violets appear as saturated as they actually are on my computer screen. Maybe someone else's screen makes the color appear differently. C'est la vie!

Another Beautiful Woman

2010-12-04T20:37:00.001-06:00

Flowers and Fierceness

Oil on Panel, 10x8"

This woman has appeared in several other paintings on this blog. She has a particularly fierce look here that belies the flower pattern in the background. I don't know if it was there or not. It's just the way it came out. It may have changed if I'd had a second session with it but I only had one opportunity to work on this. I don't know if I should touch the corner of her mouth and alter the attitude presented here or just let the expression I've indicated stand.

Kvelling

2010-11-20T15:50:00.000-06:00

The Beautiful One Has Come

Oil on Panel, 16x20
www.davida-art.com

This young woman had us kvelling the last time she came to model for us. And this time she had us kvelling again. The work we produced is evidence for the inspiration she provided. Not only is she lovely to see, she is as lovely a person. There is a sweetness about her that is unmistakable.

I kept thinking of an Egyptian Royal Fragment presumably of Nefertiti. It is only a portion of the lower head. The shape of the mouth of that fragment is just like the shape of the mouth of our model. The name Nefertiti means "The beautiful one has come." This beautiful model is our modern Nefertiti.

Embarrassed

2010-11-07T11:29:00.000-06:00

Janet

Oil on Panel, 16x20

I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't have time to finish this painting. I was struggling with that hand because Janet kept moving it! And then, I was too distracted by that to really finish adjusting the values on her legs. So I consider the the bottom quarter to be unfinished. However I have plans for this piece that do not include another session with this model. That will not happen as our group will move on and when Janet returns (Janet is too beautiful not to have her return!) some time in the future, the pose will be a different one. C'est la vie!

Well Entertained

2010-10-23T19:18:00.000-05:00

Against the Fainting Couch

Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"

I have been moving more things to my future home so we can prepare our current house for sale. We've been making quick trips by driving, unloading, spending the night, and driving back the next day. Today I was in the Saturday studio to begin a new figure painting. The model was a young woman we have had many times before and she was as beautiful as ever. But I would really like to have a male model for a change. I believe in equal opportunity nudity. The male body needs to be exposed nude with the same vulnerability as the female body.

The nude female body has its ideological issues because of the ubiquitous appearance of naked or nearly naked women in the media. I hope that I paint our women who model with a degree of dignity which counters the vulnerability of being unclothed.

This woman says that modeling for us is easy because she is so well entertained by our conversation. All our models are invited to chime in if they wish and she did. We like to know something of who the model is through conversation. It gives us a sense of the personality behind the appearance.

Some figure study groups demand silence from their members and their models. That has to make it quite dreary for the models. It sure is for the artists. I've worked with groups like that and I prefer conversation. We know how to shut up when it gets challenging. Besides this is a social activity for us as well as an artistic one. If one wants solitude one can stay in the studio!

Surprise

2010-09-25T22:53:00.003-05:00

Lilies

Oil on Linen Panel, 16x12

Sometimes I surprise myself. This painting is one of those surprises. It was one of those rare pieces that felt like it painted itself. I don't know how that happens so I never how to meet the conditions to replicate the experience. It's very frustrating.

There is a story about Sir Lawrence Olivier. He had just given an extraordinary performance as King Lear and he knew it. He went to his dressing room and proceeded to storm about the room in a rage knowing full well that he could never deliver a King Lear of that caliber again. The conditions for it could never be replicated. I'm no Olivier but I have a little understanding of the frustration he felt.

Another Olympia

2010-09-12T12:40:00.009-05:00

Little Margaret

Oil on Panel, 16x20"

This young woman can hold an expression for long periods of time, hence the smile. I don't know how she does it. When I did my self-portraits, I was too immersed in looking at and looking into myself I could never hold a smile without great effort. I have only one self-portrait that has anything but straight face.

There is another painting under this image and I had intended to completely cover it but when the fragment in the upper right corner presented itself, I decided to keep it. One of the reasons I keep doing these figure studies is to satisfy my fascination for human variety. So the fragment serves my desire to show and to honor human variety in all its beauty.

Unfortunately, we, through the media, do not see a respect for human variety. We see very young, very thin, very fit stereotypes of women and men rather than the reality we have actually surrounding us. Anything deviating from the stereotypes becomes the object of ridicule, humiliation or it becomes invisible. Now that I am a geeza (geezer is the masculine form) I see even fewer people like me in the media. In my own small, imperfect way, I try to rectify that.

Saturday Studio!

2010-08-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

Letithia Seated

Oil on Panel, 10x8"

www.davida-art.com

Letihia modeled for us last week but only for a single session. She had to miss her previously scheduled session because of illness. She took a pose so similar to another one from last year that I decided to repeat a checkered pattern in reference to that painting. It's amazing how much you can get done in one session when you know that will be it for that painting and no more. It also helps that this is small.

An Olympia of Our Own

2010-08-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

On the Fainting Couch

Oil on Panel, 16x20"

One of our Saturday studio mates found a chaise lounge put out for the trash. Since it was in fine shape, he snatched it up for our Saturday sessions. It doesn't have quite the over-the-top ornamentation of a Victorian piece but close to it. We are thrilled to have our very own Olympia fainting couch! This model made very good use of it and it will be seen in paintings to come. I only wish the internet could convey the true color of this painting. What appears black in the upper left is actually a deep blue violet.

Olympia was a painting that created a near riot when it was first shown at the Paris salon. It had to be kept under close guard to prevent its being vandalized by some outraged member of the public. It seems a rather innocuous nude today. But the fact that the woman pictured was a contemporary woman and not an idealized depiction of some classical allegory or part of a mythologized historical event made it a scandal. To have a real woman confidently staring out at her viewer and not some sleeping Venus or other goddess who is looking away was a shocker to the viewer who might otherwise be comfortable as a voyeur looking at a naked woman who would be unaware of the looking.

The prudish nineteenth century is renowned for paintings of delectable nude women under the acceptable guise of classical or biblical mythology. It is in contradiction to the tightly laced-in middle and upper class women who were restricted by their mode of dress and their ability to move about in public. I think of the Martin Scorcese film, Age of Innocence, with its opening scene through the rooms of a lavish nineteenth century New York house with exactly the kind of paintings to which I refer and the very strict standard of respectability required of the characters of the story. In fact all the paintings are used as metaphors for the contradictions faced by them. The styles of the paintings represent ways of being in the world.

Back in the Saturday Studio!

2010-07-17T16:35:00.000-05:00

Dozing

Oil on Panel

20x16"