The Pose

My favorite poses are usually the simplest ones. An extended arm and subtle twist - what more could an artist want.

Female Nude, oil pastel on toned paper
11" X 9", 2017

Nuance

This figure study has avoided my discard pile multiple times. I like the strong shadow but it is the bent finger of the upper hand that keeps it in my collection. I had a long comfortable working relationship with the model. She was a professional. Starting the drawing I could be confident of her being aware of and holding this subtle nuance.

Nude Withe Shadow, oil pastel on toned paper, 9" X 9", 2012

Influences

Other than one assignment in a beginning painting class in college I haven't copied other artists work. As a learning tool I can see the value of copying. There is a market for "copy artists" doing reproductions of famous paintings. But duplicating others work for knowledge or profit has never appealed to me.

Still Life, oil on linen, 14" X 11", 2001

Just because I don't copy other artists doesn't mean I'm not influenced by them. Sometime after completing the above painting I started affectionately calling it "my Chardin" in reference to the eighteenth century French painter. There is no tangible basis for making this connection. I wasn't referencing or thinking of Chardin while painting it. For me there is just some mystical link. Over the years I have sensed the subconscious influences of many artists in my work.

Jean-Baptiste-Simon Chardin
Goblet,Apples,Pear and Two Bottles, 1750