"St. Jerome," after an oil painting by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528). 9"x12" Black ball-point pen over a pencil sketch on paper.
I was so moved by the depth of expression Durer conveyed, especially the penetrating character of the eyes. The collaboration between sitter and artist is wonderfully palpable, which is a feat given the sitter was 93 years old in a time before the invention of photographic reference materials. I had the benefit of copying it from a Time-Life book called The World of Durer, filled with many great examples of his woodcuts and paintings. I copied it by eye in one sitting, cropping the original composition slightly to emphasize the importance of the model and that laser-beam gaze of his.
"Suggestively Intimate" copied from the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). 11"x14" pencil on paper.
These are the head and shoulders of a pair of ignudos, the nude figures posed throughout the Sistine Chapel's famous painted ceiling. Ordinarily these two are separated, framing either side of the "Drunkenness of Noah" where his nudity is discovered (and then covered) by his sons. Here there is no-one's shame between them - they are now closer before than ever in history, yet still can barely look at the other.
"How Arthur Saw the Questing Beast" copied from an illustration in L'Morte D'Arthur, as drawn by Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898). 9"x12" black ball-point pen over pencil sketch on paper.
Here I was interested in two main studies - Beardsley's unusual use of perspective in the pictorial space, and his idiosyncratic depiction of form. His unusual style pulled hard against my usual approach of developing the whole composition through a study of values (how light or dark something appears) with all manner of funny little doodles and quirky forms.
"Trabajos de la Guerra" ("The Works of War"). 5 1/2" x 8" Pencil on Paper
and
"Borricos a Mascara" ("Masquerading Donkeys"). 5" x 7 1/2" Pencil on Paper,
copied from the sketchbooks of Francisco de Goya (1746-1828).
Goya created several series of these sketchbooks during his life which he would transcribe a social commentary in cleverly invented pictures with titles functioning as a narration, and then sell it as a themed work. Here I have used pencil, but Goya's own brush and pen work is well worth seeing if you ever get the chance. For those who would like to know, the full title of "Borricos a Mascara" is "Borricos a mascara - estan muy contentos, de que pro los bestidos pasan por hombres grandes." Which translates "Masquerading donkeys - they are quite pleased, though they are beasts, to pass as grand men."
"The Old Plum Tree" 9"x12" Black ball-point pen over pencil sketch on paper.
A west-facing view of the fruit trees in my backyard, with the old plum tree in the foreground. Every year the tree produces the sweetest Italian plums. Here it is sparsely leafy on a bright spring day - old and gnarled, yet still well before its fruiting.
"Self Portrait with Black Cap" 11" x 14" Pencil on paper.
I did this the first self portrait I did at the start of the quarter in Helen O'Toole's figure drawing class at the University of Washington. My main interest was using the workability of the pencil to really capture all the subtle shapes in my face.
"Sneering Self Portrait" 11" x 14" Black conte crayon on paper.
Executed soon after the self portrait in the black cap, here I wanted play a bit with facial expression, and the texture of the crayon was the perfect tool for conveying the right sense of mood.
"Space Study 2" 18" x 24" Charcoal on paper.
What could possibly be so interesting about looking at a plain old wall? This view of the corner in my studio show a mirror reflecting a view of the nearby closet. I was very interested in looking at the interplay of light across the different surfaces.
"Billy Goat Study" 9" x 12" Black ball-point pen over preliminary pencil sketch on paper.
Some of my recent paintings have involved some of the old classic devil imagery, so I needed a good, goaty reference to base my later invention on. This billy goat was copied out of a photo in the book "Get Your Goat" by Brent Zimmerman.
"Bazl Behind Toes" 11" x 14" Pencil on Paper.
This is a picture of Bazl, one of the family dogs, taking shelter under the legs of my wife, Bran LeFae.
"Sleeping Moonbeam" 9" x 12" Black and bistre conte crayons on paper.
I drew this picture of our cat, Moon, one night as she slept near the fireplace. Cats can be such finicky models when they are awake, but asleep, such perfect angels!
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Drawings and Illustrations
Here's a small collection of drawings that I've done over the last couple of years that lend themselves to illustration. The drawings are executed in a variety of wet and dry media, including pencil, conte crayon, charcoal and ball-point pen.
