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In this sketch I experimented with hard and soft edges, warm and cool temperature. The cool black of the glove in front brings it forward, the warm black of the other glove makes it go back. Hard edges on the gloves in front, soft edges on the face that's further back.
I recently returned from an oil painting workshop in Taos with Sherrie McGraw and David Leffel. I gave myself the gift of this workshop in honor of completing my year long yoga therapy program and becoming a Certified Yoga Therapist. It's my hope that with 150 case studies done drawing and painting can return again.
Sherrie and David turned everything I've ever learned in the past about painting and drawing on its head. It was so amazing to spend a full week painting from morning to night and be surrounded by others who were passionate about doing the same thing. The lighting for this photo is not good but I decided to post it anyway rather than wait for a time where I could get a better photo, which may well be never. This is the 7th portrait in oils I've ever done. I returned home to clear all the stored clutter from my art studio and rearranged the room entirely in order to catch North light on the easel.
Wednesday night life drawing started back up again this week after a summer hiatus. It was ultimately good to be back though it felt like trying to convince myself to jump into ice cold water to get myself to go. We were all in the same boat, feeling rusty, frustrated, and relieved to be drawing again all at once. I've often wondered why I so resist doing the things I say I love to do. As we call ourselves forth and our light gets brighter it also casts a shadow. It helps to know that resistance is just part of the whole, not something to beat down and overcome, but to be aware of and move with.
This is an oil painting sketch made during a 3 hour life drawing session on Sunday. At the time I thought it was just awful but a few days later I think it is not so bad. I certainly learned a lot from doing it. One of the things I learned is how hard it is to paint with oils! I struggle with how to mix the colors, they're unpredictable and I need to take some time to learn what it is they do when you put them together. I find the combination between seeing value AND color AND knowing how to capture it in oil paint to be dizzying. As my comfort with drawing faces increases I can feel my next project being born. I will learn how to oil paint. I look forward to the value/color studies, the little painted objects and portraits to come.
The intense dry heat of June in New Mexico brought longing for June in Maine this morning. I ache for Earl Grey tea in the fog on the deck of the Inn on the Harbor in Stonington. My longing brought me to visit this post. How amazing to be able to visit moments of your very own life when you're longing for what you want. I was surprised by what I wrote there about movement, "It is only movement that closes the gap. Ugly, awkward, lovely movement." I was talking about the gap between idea and form at the time, be it the written word or an image on a page.
It was before I started or even knew about the yoga therapy program or really thought much about movement at all. Now I have 85 faces drawn or painted after avoiding them for most of my life. Who knew that the daring that morning of drawing the harbor when I hadn't drawn anything for so long and the fear of not being any good yet moving anyway would bring me here? I guess I did, somehow.
This model is wearing just the right outfit for the 95 degree heat.
This pose had the extra challenge of how to capture a face when it's mostly hidden by hair. It felt good to get back to Wednesday night life drawing again.
