Paper and Threads

                                Left to Right:  Benedicte, Me, Teri, Pat

Benedicte, Teri, Pat, Judy and I went to the Museum of Modern Art yesterday to see the new Exquisite Corpses exhibit.  This was a surrealist game of the 1920s and 1930s - initially played by group construction of a sentence. 

The goal of the pictoral form of Exquisite Corpse is to form a picture rather than a sentence. The method for three players is as follows:

• the first player draws the head
• the second player draws the midsection
• the third player draws the legs and feet

Each player folds the paper after finishing the drawing, hiding it from the next player. Usually a the picture extends past the fold just a little bit so that the next player's drawing will join with the first player's.  With more than 3 players, more folded sections are made and the body is divided up differently.

There were only 2 classic examples of Exquisite Corpses in the MoMA exhibit - the rest of the drawings and paintings were deformed-dysmorphic figures by single artists. 

This one was created by Yves Tanguy, Joan Miro, Max Morise, and Man Ray in 1926-7.  If you look carefully, you can see where they folded the paper as they passed it on to the next player.

We were inspired and went to the MoMA Sculpture Garden, to play our own game of Exquisite Corpse - with 4 players (Teri declined and worked in her sketchbook instead). 

         Left to Right:  Me, Judy, Pat, Benedicte (See Judy and Pat's blog entry here and here)

This was the one I started in the first round - with 5 folds.  I did the head and passed it on.  When it went around the circle and returned to me, I sketched the feet.

Here are all 4 created in the second round:

Of course it took us awhile to work out the simple rules - with much laughter - and fun.  We then headed off to lunch and 3 drawing exhibits at the Morgan Library. I love having "art buddies." 

Posted by Shirley at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I had a wonderful time drawing last night.  The weather was beautiful all day.  The wine was great, the 3 piece jazz band set a mellow background ambeience, and I loved the models' challenging poses.  Some days the process is just so much fun.  I was most pleased with the fast poses last night and will just upload them - skipping the 2 twenty minute poses until later.  It always gives me great pleasure when I can "just do it."  

Two Minute

Four 5-minute poses:  It was amazing that the model could actually hold the last pose you'll see for a full 5 minutes.

Two 10-minute poses:

Posted by Shirley at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I am very sad that the Print Studio ended today.  It was an amazing resource for artists/visitors and each of us felt that it was the perfect environment for artistic play.  The Reanimation Library provided the inspiration.  The images that were available in the 35+ shelves of books stimulated so many ideas and the copiers, scanners, and computers with Photoshop software permitted artists to experiment in many different ways. 

I made my eighth 8-page pamphlet book on Monday - this one entitled The Mystique of the Alphabet.  On Wednesday I decided that it was time to do some drawing - and made a book with figure illustrations for me to draw.  On Thursday I added collages to the altered book that I started in the workshop they had several weeks ago.  New friends were made and I shall miss them as we begin withdrawal and catch up on the rest of our life.

Here are the pages from my book entitled "Draw Me."

Posted by Shirley at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Here are several sketches from Valentine's Day at the Society of Illustrators.  One of the models had on a red sequin headband and red net stockings - one of which is visible on her leg in the first sketch while the other one is wrapped around her wrist.  This is a 10 minute pose.

The remaining two drawings are from the 20 minute poses.  I sketched the models with a watercolor pencil and then brushed on clear water in the last few minutes to achieve some shading.

These drawings are on 9 X 12" watercolor paper and are too big for my scanner.  The photograph background color was adjusted a little in Photoshop.

Posted by Shirley at 3:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday night Live Figure Drawing at the Society of Illustrators is always a surprise.  The models are given a theme and they bring costumes to wear.  Last night it was Carnivale in Venice.  How appropriate is that?  However, I found drawing really difficult.  When faced with masks, I couldn't figure out where to start.

Here is a page of quick sketches that I did during the 2 minute poses, a 10 minute pose, and a 20 minute pose. 

On an unrelated topic, my daughter is starting her own business as she prepares to send her third child off to kindergarten in the Fall.  She worked for American Express after she finished Business School and was at Ground Zero on 9/11.  It was then that she and her husband decided to start their family and she now has 3 wonderful children (who you have seen over the years on this blog). 

Please take a look at her new website.  She is just beginning, but soon will have more about the projects that she is doing - both with clothing and home decor.

http://www.rachelrodin.com/    Click on her logo for information.  And thanks.  She will be thrilled if she gets some traffic.

Posted by Shirley at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)