Freedom

I recently had the first model session in my new studio. The most striking difference is space. In my old studio I could only move a couple of feet in any direction. Now, after settling on a pose, I was free to move in a 180 degree arc looking for just the right working angle. It would be hard to overstate how freeing this new environment is.

Nude Study, oil on canvas, 10" X 14", 2014

Years focusing on still lifes have made me very aware of how important subtle changes can be in a pose. Anyone watching me set up a still life could easily think I was crazy. (I won't dispute this conclusion). I often spend enormous amounts of time shifting a light source and moving elements a fraction of an inch before starting.

I have done hundreds and hundreds of drawings and paintings from the live figure over a forty plus year span. As I paced back and forth contemplating the above pose something struck me - I'll never come close to exhausting the possibilities. I could have worked from half a dozen different angles on this pose alone.