The next step

I have worked from the live nude periodically since the early 1970's. This blog started August 9th, 2012 in my second year of working almost exclusively from the figure.

In the fall of 2015 I reintroduced still lifes and an occasional cityscape into my painting repertoire. Rather than abandon this figure blog or start a new one I decided to add them to the conservation.

All drawings and paintings posted on this blog were done entirely from live models or on location.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Déjà Vu

I've seen this pose before. It happens every now and then. Working from the figure over a long period of time it is inevitable that one will encounter the same or very similar poses.

This is the vantage point I was presented with at a recent group session. I like foreshortened angles but this particular one was just too familiar. I got up and searched the room for a fresh point of view only to find all the "prime" locations taken. I retreated to my spot and set to work. I reasoned that no pose or situation is exactly the same so I'll try to extract the essence from this one.

Reclining Nude, oil pastel, 9" X 11", 2014

Photographing the drawing in the studio the next day I had a strong feeling of deja vu. Then I remembered a drawing that had only recently surfaced. An old friend had kept it. I probably would have tossed it years ago. It offered me a record breaking 39 year gap comparison!
Reclining Nude, graphite, 6 1/2" X 6 1/2", 1975
Collection of Arleigh Williams

It is nearly impossible for two poses to be exactly the same. There are a virtually limitless number of subtle position variations. But as these two drawings show they can come awfully close.

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