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| Nude Study, oil pastel on toned paper 11" X 6 1/2", 2018 |
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
A New Paradigm
The best figure sessions are collaborations between an artist and a model. In private sessions I almost always dictate broad pose concepts with the model adding their own unique twist within that framework. What happens when a model is also a figurative artist with strong personal visions?
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Learning to Walk
There are probably more talented realist painters working today than at any time in history. In spite of this something fundamental is wrong with the genre. Contemporary realism, while often technically impressive, has lost touch with reality. Reliance on secondary imagery as source material is largely to blame. Another culprit is artist/teachers claiming the undeserved mantle of grand master and passing limited and even misleading lessons onto unsuspecting students.
For realism to gain and deserve any relevance in our modern world, artists must face the humbling challenges of real subjects in real environments. They must drop delusions of grander and learn to walk again.
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| Nude, oil pastel on toned paper, 11" X 9". 2017 |
For realism to gain and deserve any relevance in our modern world, artists must face the humbling challenges of real subjects in real environments. They must drop delusions of grander and learn to walk again.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Practice
I have never quantified how frequently I need draw from the live figure to attain and then keep a sufficient level of competence. I do know that my skill level seems to rise in conjunction with the amount of effort I expend engaged with the model.
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| Figure Studies, oil pastel on toned paper, 8" X 12", 2018 |
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Working Without a Net
Early in a recent long pose figure session an artist approached the model and was given permission to take a photo of the pose. While this was happening, I was still making composition and proportion decisions. As this artist took his picture, I thought how different my state of mind would be if I had a photograph to fall back on.
All live figure sessions involve the pressure of time constraints. This urgency of the moment is an essential element in giving life to a picture. There is nothing like working without a net to stay focused on the task at hand.
All live figure sessions involve the pressure of time constraints. This urgency of the moment is an essential element in giving life to a picture. There is nothing like working without a net to stay focused on the task at hand.
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| Figure Study, oil pastel, 10 1/2' X 7", 2018 |
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