latest life drawing developments.

You may wonder why I still work from the model. - (often, I wonder too), and why the same one? I find I can explore more readily when I am working with a familiar form, and Blue understands what I am often striving to get.

I like to work with a semi clothed figure, as I am very aware of the objectifying of a person, that life drawing so easily slips into.  Anyway, I have gone on at length about this. 

I have been teaching life drawing and I do not really work myself when doing that as I want the student to explore their work and style, and not be tempted to please 'teacher'. I now don't instruct on a Wednesday night, so can please myself. Ha! easier said than done. 

It was a bit of a struggle, I slipped so quickly into a safe, nice, space and I felt the gestural drawings were a bit pedestrian. I worked with some water colour too. The longer paintings were not so bad, but still a bit safe (top row) so I changed the pallet.

I also gessoed the paper and the gestural drawings were much more exciting.

and the gessoed paper has the added bonus that you can work with oil into the sketch book.  (bit hard to close the book up afterwards.)

Recently I have seen Helene Schjerfbeck at the RA and fell in love. (Spot the influence.) Also, the fab Kathe Kollwitz at the British Museum. I liked the Lucian Freud self portraits, the direct, strong gaze of his models, and I enjoyed the Anselm Kiefer exhibition at the white cube gallery immensely.