Ben

Ben   vine charcoal and conte crayon on paper   20.5 x 12

Bassham is an Emeritus Professor of Art History at Kent State University and one of my colleagues at Group Ten Gallery in Kent.  A few Saturdays ago, during our drawing exhibition, Ben agreed to sit for me while on duty.  My drawing, done in vine charcoal, was fairly complete after a couple of hours.  Actually, it might have been finished at that point...everything was in the right place.  I wished, however, to take the drawing to more completion, which is always risky, as too many details tend to detract from, and take power away from, the spirit of the work.  On the other hand, it can also lead to a more creative work, as contemplation allows for more push and pull, as I make decisions about which information is more significant.  (there is an absolute flood of information in the human face).  I also wanted to try my hand at suggesting his horn-rimmed glasses and his tiny-checked wool sportcoat.  Conte crayon was used for those passages.  A charcoal pencil, which allows for more concentrated dark marks, was used here and there for punctuation. A photo reference was used for this final session at home. I am pleased with this work.  Thank you, Ben!