Les Pieds

Les Pieds     pastel/mixed   28 x 21

is a work completed as a result of our Tuesday evening sessions of live modeling featuring the young ballet dancers of Ballet Excel Ohio.  I use these sessions as experimentation....as a springboard to hatch new ideas...new forms of visual expression.  The model typically performs a series of limited-time poses before settling into a pose for the rest of the evening.  I used two of these quick poses along with the longer one on one sheet of paper using pastel.

At home, I worked on these three drawings to attempt to create a unified whole...washes of water were added to create softer edges where needed.  Then, using a combination of linoleum blocks, one uncut and one a pre-cut design, to print on top using relief ink.  I used cut pieces of tracing paper on top of the shapes I wished to retain in order to block the printing.  The final pass was spent in trying to merge both the drawing and the printing processes...searching for a bit of balance.

By enunciating the feet and diminishing the facial features, the attention was shifted to the feet.  (hopefully).  I am satisfied.  In fact, I am pleased.

Grace is Her Middle Name

Grace is Her Middle Name   Artgraf used as watercolor   13 x 10.5

Each Tuesday evening at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center we artists are treated to a live model session by the young dancers at Ballet Excel Ohio.  I use these sessions to play with my materials and to experiment.  On this particular evening, I used the ArtGraf Tailor Shape  by Viarco which are blocks of pressed pigment that can be used for drawing or painting, when a brush dipped in water is applied.  They are thick.  They are chunky.  They are opaque. And they are strong.  Hence, a chunkier work of art can be expected.  This work was done on 140# Fabriano Artistico hot press watercolor paper.

As the light on the model washed out subtler nuances of value, I chose to go with a simple 3-value work, with the white of the paper in a dominant role.....I honestly had a difficult time pushing the pigment around.  But I am satisfied, as this experiment resulted in a stronger work....stronger, albeit, than I am used to.

I admire these young dancers and look forward to their production of "Snow Queen" in March.

Ballerinas Also Rest

Sequined Skirt   conte crayon/pastel   20.5 x 12

I always look forward to Tuesday evenings when Ballet Excel Ohio teams up with Cuyahoga Valley Art Center to provide young dancers with live models for the evening.  Typically the session begins with a series of 1-5 minute poses, wherein we are more likely to be treated to particular dance movements, where the body itself, as well as the negative space surrounding the body, becomes the subject.  The major shapes in the work are complex, broken up and imply the energy of the dance.  Subsequently, the model is posed in a more static restful position which she will hold, with small breaks, until the end of the session.  This is when observational skills are piqued and extended.  The major shapes are more self-enclosed, less dynamic.  This quietude leads to a completely different kind of work...one that is more of an exchange between model and artist, one that offers an emotional countenance.  These things, then, become the subject of the work.  Two completely different kinds of work.

In looking back over the past works, I see that most of my work has been a welcome exchange between the seated model and myself...a quieter, more serious kind of contemplation.

I think that when our sessions begin again in January, I will try to make more creative and dynamic works from the gesture poses.....a bit daunting....but very exciting....I love giving myself new challenges.

Rorschach

Rorschach   oil/canvas   24 x 30 x 1.5

This pair of young dancers were quite remarkable....during the warm-up poses, they assumed several premeditated poses in which their two bodies created interesting shapes and outstanding visuals.  I was truly taken with their expertise!

The most exciting part of figurative painting, to me, is the shape of the core, the limbs, and, subsequently, the diminishing of the facial features to create intriguing lines....an overall visual that is greater than the sum of the parts....gestalt!!!

This was an exciting painting to work on...I feel that it mirrors that which their young bodies were trained to do.  Thank you.

Wendy

Wendy   charcoal and pastel on paper   14.5 x 11

is one of the younger dancers in the troupe.  And yet, her whole being embodies extraordinary discipline.   I thorough enjoyed making this drawing!

Clownfish

Clownfish   mixed/paper   19.5 x 12

are important roles to dance in "The Little Mermaid".  And these dancers were so impressive....quite a pair.  They were both dedicated, focused and graceful to the max.  No Alphas.  Two halves::one whole. And....just as a school of fish moves instantly together, sensing the minute neuromuscular movements of the others, these two young dancers were oh-so-in-sync.  Each pose, not only portrayed each dancer to advantage, but also formed an interesting together shape.  They moved without speaking a word.

THESE DANCERS WERE AMAZING!



And...as for the highly developed sensitivity to the movements of the other....

I sometimes think that the world would be so much more pleasant if we all learned this sensitivity...we all learned to dance.

And....just maybe...we would be better drivers.

M as Shark - The Little Mermaid

M as Shark   mixed/paper   20 x 13

Konstantin Stanislavski remarked that "there are no small parts, only small actors."  Some of the young ballet dancers that we have painted have the "chorus" roles, the smaller parts.  I suspect that these roles go to the younger, less experienced dancers.  M. stood before us in her shark costume...the dearest shark I have ever seen.  While this hat and these fin attachments are clever as can be, my goal was to give to M. the innocence and humility that enveloped her.  No grand gestures here.  Her stance was natural.  No affectation.  Hooray for sharks!

Dabbs Greer, a bit actor, once said, "Every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead".

Nightshade

Nightshade   conte crayon   19.5 x 12.5

is a drawing done with conte crayon on an unknown kind of paper from my storage box.  I am trying to remember to label all of my papers, but am not always good at it.  As previously written, these sessions with the young dancers from Ballet Excel Ohio have provided the opportunity for me to break out of my usual routines with some experimentation...for me, having a few unknowns pushes my boundaries and provides stimulation in my R-brain.  The lighting, the pose, and yes, the model herself in her ability to relate to the artists provide variables to which we must adjust.  I look for lights that lead into each other in a sort of pattern.  Likewise with the darker shapes.  I like spontaneity as well as its polar opposite, deliberate refinement.  This particular drawing works for me.

The costume for this young dancer is that of a nightshade, a dark dancer that is a kind of minion for the queen, as I was told...a nightshade plant being that which is poisonous.

Darks.  Lights.  Makes for a good drawing.

Tutu

Tutu   watercolor pencil and walnut ink   19.75 x 12

The collaboration between Cuyahoga Valley Art Center and Ballet Excel Ohio has provided live models in the way of young dancers once a week for some time now.  I eagerly look forward to each session.  This series has provided the opportunity for experimentation...to use some of the forgotten drawing tools in my art box. 

I started with a half-sheet of Strathmore Aquarius II watercolor paper.  This sheet has many uses in that it is partially synthetic, thin and will not buckle.  During the entire 2 1/2 session, I used Derwent watercolor sketching pencils in light wash, medium and dark, alternating drawing with broad washes of water during the breaks.  At home, some washes of walnut ink completed the work.  For me, the challenge involved the pushing and pulling of strokes to reveal what is more important to the pose; and, conversely the less important. For this reason, I have always had such a difficulty with chairs and stools, as I realize the importance of having a support for the pose, yet despise the weight given to it.

This model wore the traditional tutu, hence the title.  I am pleased.

Tiny Dancer

Little Mermaid   charcoal, conte and gold leaf on toned paper   21.5 x 14

It has been so much fun to paint and draw from a live model again!  Due to the fine efforts of Cuyahoga Valley Art Center Center's new director Danielle Dieterich, young dancers from Ballet Excel OhioExcel Ohio have been modelling each Tuesday evening and will continue for some time.  We artists, mostly older, are treated to the movements and costumes of these young dancers. 

"Little Mermaid" was drawn in charcoal and conte crayon on a toned paper.  Gold leaf pieces were added later.  I had actually hoped for more covering on its application, but due to the fact that the adhesive was mostly dried up, and the high humidity, a more mottled effect was the result.  But I am happy. 

This pose, subtle yet powerful, is, I believe the result of a strong core and a slight curving of the small of the back.  I appreciate the strength and willpower of this young dancer!