drawings.htm

There is no image quite so direct as a drawing. The hand of the artist is evident, wherever the image came from. I have often thought of this act as a sort of fencing, carving lines and marks into the page. With a sword or burin as much as a pen. For this reason, there is dimension to the surface of my drawings: they are actually inscribed. All the decisions are seen, erasures disallowed.

I am particularly enamored of graphite for portraits in this very direct in-your-face manner. These are done knee-to-knee over 2-3 hrs and then touched in the studio.... It is imperative to show (or "Catch," the story goes below) the elements and affect that is projected FROM the sitter--- very much a drawing-that-God-does-himself-through-me kind of thing.

All my portraits are that way, in any medium-- it is surprising to me that the stereotypical comment is actually true-- that the artist only "catches" what the sitter projects. Often, the sitter is just as tired as I am! However, you will agree the results are interesting. I'll post some done in oil as well. At one time, I had used photographs as references for portraits and found the results to be stiff and unsatisfyingly-distant-- so all portraits are now done in sittings---
--- sometimes brief, but nonetheless Present.

This is a one-time school friend, John: artist and bon vivant, done during his salad days in Oregon.
Click here for an enlarged view of this drawing.

This is a self-portrait from long ago, contemplating a transition. ENLARGE

An early ink drawing from 1973

Here is a graphite portrait of a friend, Jason, sometime lady-killer and writer-- oh, and now software exec, Best Man at my 2nd wedding.Enlarge

A figure from 1984 done while living in SOHO NYC

Rotating-in more drawings, 2Bposted soon--- so Bookmark!
Click here to go to Graphite Portraits Now