Renewal

Hoping to get back into the saddle again after a long absence from this blog...
We'll see how hardy this newfound rededication truly is after a few days, I suppose.

Still... would be good to get back to regular posts.

I need an outlet for my idlemind aside from complaining over burgers with friends and daydreaming between videogames and creative bursts... been neglecting the sort of playful brain banter that used to keep me focused between freelance gigs and teaching chores.

Possible commission on the horizon... and perhaps even a trip to teach abroad...

Stay tuned.

Phil

I just found out about Phil's passing this afternoon when I went in to renew my membership at the Chelsea Rec this afternoon... needless to say, I was devastated.

Phil and I had become rather close in the last few years... or I suppose as close as two fellow lifeguards could be that only see one another seasonally... but we actually had spent a few evenings together eating lobster and sharing stories about work and women.  He called these get-togethers the "Night of Champions"... we'd indulge in wine and food and he'd embarrass me with stories of his sexual conquests and daily travails. We'd commiserate about life,family, and relationships together... and I actually started to consider the man a friend... a real friend, not merely a workmate with a colorful past.

I can still remember him encouraging me to ask out a young gal he found attractive... and the ensuing date afterwards.  I guess I kinda gave him a vicarious thrill by following through, even though nothing came of it.  We were both older guys and I enjoyed listening to him talking about the incoming female guards like he was a horny teen youngster.  It was all in fun... Phil was always respectful and a gentleman... but it was enjoyable for us both to play around and pretend we were on the prowl again like in our youth!

I missed out on our last "Night of Champions" because I had a date that evening... and after that, we both got busy and lost touch.  That phone call was the last I ever spoke to him.
I hope that he could feel the regret in my voice when I said I couldn't make it... and the enthusiasm in my promise to make it up to him the next time we met.

I am so damned sorry that I couldn't follow up, Phil...
I hope that you still thought well of me in the end.

He was one of the best human beings I knew.
There are those that knew him better than I ... but I am just grateful for the time I had with him.

I miss him.


Keep surveying the scene, Phil...

G

Sketchdump COLOSSUS!!!

Here are two ends of a continuous spectrum, model-wise... one fidgety and unable to maintain still for the duration of her poses, and the other a virtual statue.  

Both challenged my rendering skills in differing ways.
I'm quite grateful for them both.

The latter, however, really gave me a chance to push myself in ways that I am rarely able to do within short pose confines.  Lean, athletic, and with tremendous muscle control, she was able to strike and hold very difficult poses with almost mechanical precision... while still maintaining a supple, almost fluid gesture in the positions she held.  Very comfortable in her skin, this gal...

The gamut runs from 1 minute to 15 minute sketches for both models... it is relatively easy to identify which drawing is what time limit.  Make a game of it if you're bored;-)

INTERIM...

Yoink... it's been awhile.

Trying to go in a different direction these days... a few false starts later, things still feel more or less the same.

Crap.

Will try to get back to posting regularly again soon...
In the meantime, some drawings and digital work I've been experimenting with...

ONWARD.

Another year is at it's cusp... and I'm not sure if I'm any the wiser for it.

I feel like I am still chasing after giants that disappear as soon as I manage to trace their footsteps...

Still, I am grateful for what I have and the possibilities before me.

I'm going to really try to be a better artist next year... that is to say, I will try my utmost to actually produce enough good work to warrant calling myself an artist in the coming months.

Wish me luck...

Here are a few 10 minutes sketches from the recent SVA Alumni drawing classes I periodically attend.  Nothing spectacular... but hopefully solid, workmanlike examples of someone who understands the physicality of the human frame.

I'll do better next time.

Hourglass...

Another sketch session in the books... 

This one was tough.  I just wasn't in the mood and my tools seemed to fight me at every turn... the conté crayons resisted the paper surface... and the poor lighting situation made carving out the figure difficult.  Boo hoo.  Still, some decent work came of the effort... it is just too bad that I didn't get better drawings of this model.  She had a very dramatic figure and small fluted waist compared to her shoulders and hips.

A 10 minute up top, followed by a few 1 and 3 minute drawings... and punctuated by another 10 and a couple 15 minute attempts.  Even the less accomplished ones teach me something.

Better luck next time.

 

Sketchdump RESSURECTION!

Now that the Halloween madness has subsided... and Hurricane Sandy has washed the gooky layers of half-dried spray adhesive and crumbling hot glue from my person... I've decided to get back to work.

Here are a few sketches from the last few drawing sessions at the SVA Alumni class...
The usual assortment of 1, 3, and 15 minute drawings in conté crayon.  Mostly just maintenance work... trying to keep the hand supple between paintings.