Paper and Threads

 When this challenge was posted, I began a search for a shadow photo that I vaguely remembered among my huge collection of family photos - and finally found it.  My husband and I were taking our daily one hour walk along the beach, when our shadows spread out in front of us, over several wet footprints, and I snapped a photo.  I have no idea why our shadows are so bulky!

I also had a recent photo of my granddaughter Syd, in the snow in Central Park, that showed a great shadow in the snow.  I wanted to paint this photo anyway, so it is a smaller representation of a shadow.

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Raphael to Renoir: Drawings from the Collection of Jean Bonna
January 21, 2009–April 26, 2009
Galleries for Drawings, Prints, and Photographs, 2nd floor

This is a wonderful new exhibit (120 drawings - spanning 500 hundred years) and a wonderful opportunity to study masterpiece drawings.  I thoroughly enjoy trying to copy the lines in these beautiful works, and will probably return to draw and learn from a few more. 

Here are the two drawings that I did last weekend.

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri  (1591-1666) was called Il Guercino - the squinter - because of his crossed-eyes.  I first saw his drawings at the Courtauld Gallery in London and was mesmerized by his beautiful figures.  The original was done with pen and brown ink, I used brown colored pencil.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805)  At the entrance to the exhibit are three drawings of girls heads by Greuze- one more wonderful than the next.  The original was done with conte - I used colored pencil.

Posted by Shirley at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We picked up two of our grandchildren from nursery school and walked them back to our apartment through Central Park.  There was a recent snowfall and Robbie (age 3 1/2) and his cousin Sydney (age 4) were having a fabulous time making and throwing snowballs and our progress was really slow.  On a bench, on one of the paths in the middle of the Park, we saw a beautiful pair of brown leather cowboy boots, a new red and black backpack, and an open bird watcher's book.  

We regularly watch Law and Order, so my husband and I looked at each other suspiciously and for an instant wondered whether we would next find a body.  There were no people anywhere in sight - in any direction.  I took a photo so I could show a Park staff member when we passed one of the them on the second half of our journey.  We never heard more about the event and hopefully the tourist who left them there was able to retrieve their stuff when they returned.  

Posted by Shirley at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I love my friend Bunny's photos from her trip to India and look forward to sketching and painting some of these interesting people in their beautifully colored clothes.  It is a joy to look at her albums for specific photos for my figure drawing practice.  This year, as I practice, I will continue to add faces to my figures.  Older readers of this blog may remember that I sketched figures or faces, but never together, through much of 2008.

View from the Bus - Delhi to Jaipur Road:

Man in Village Next to Samode Palace:

Jaipur - Elephant Ride to Amber Fort:

I still have several more figures that I would like to paint from Album #3 - and then 12 more albums to go!   Thanks again Bunny.

Posted by Shirley at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm so happy that I brought a few of my favorite shells home from the beach this summer.  I sketched and painted many when we were taking our morning walk, but our grandchildren played with most of them and I saved very few.

Posted by Shirley at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)