Posted: November 17th, 2008 | Author: Sean | Filed under: Finished Works, Projects, Sketches, Thoughts | Tags: charcoal, dad, drawings, friends, hers project | No Comments »
Today was a very productive day. I did six new drawings, most of which I’m relatively pleased with. I did two drawings which apply to the Hers project. These are drawings I really enjoy doing because of the strong connection I have with these people. A month or so ago I was focusing on issues of a war because I thought that maybe personal issues were not as significant as collective issues. I still think this is true, but damn this is a lot more fun than drawing people dying. Some other posts on the Hers project can be found here or here.
These drawings are quite reflective and I enjoyed the flavor mix of nostalgia, discursiveness, and productivity. This is a drawing of a very good friend of mine jamming. Today was the first step towards stepping out of the female focused drawings to a wider range of influential people in my life.
Today I took an emotional blow, broke down, and cried for the first time in a long while. I don’t want to go into any details, but it involves my father and some very poor choices. I don’t know where he is, if he is ok, and very little about what has been going on with him. What little I do know really saddened me. Drawing this allowed me to vent a bit and I think for the first time I am truely understanding how and why artists express their personal lives. It is amazing the transitions in peoples lives, how far they can rise or fall within short spans of time. Wherever you are dad I will not (“do or do not there is no ‘try’”) make the mistakes you have made, but mostly I hope you are well.
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Posted: November 8th, 2008 | Author: Sean | Filed under: Projects, Thoughts | Tags: hers, hers project, past | No Comments »
I mentioned in an earlier post that I am starting drawings of girls who have had a big impact on me. I’m doing this to confront my past and as a token of respect to all of those who I have shared intimacies with (sexual and non) friends and lovers alike. For me drawing and talking about these things helps to settle my mind; to answer questions I haven’t allowed myself to ask. I won’t tell you everything about these people (your imagination can do that) but I will mention bits where I deem necessary . After doing some portraits earlier this week I decided to try layering portraits like I was taught to do with gestures. After some playing around tonight I created what I thought to be a successful drawing. I’m getting bolder with my drawing process and I think it helped this time around. I saw something that didn’t work and changed it, and if that didn’t work I thought about it briefly and dove right in again. This is the direction I hope to go.
Suddenly, as had happened so many other times, I was above the cloud line. From up here I could see, from up here I knew. I was on top of a mountain and on another peak miles away I could see her clearly. Up here one might think it would be cold, but no, quite the opposite. I pretended to ignore her, but my sight was too clear and I knew too much. I wanted her and she wanted me, or maybe she was just drunk. I waved to her and she gestured for me to come closer. I tried to jump from my mountain top to hers. I flew soaring higher and higher. Gravity eventually pulled me down. Racing forward I slammed into her and we both tumbled off her mountain. Later I woke battered and bruised from the fall, she lay beside me eyes shut. I couldn’t move. Was I hurt? Was she injured?
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Posted: November 2nd, 2008 | Author: Sean | Filed under: Projects | Tags: hers, hers project, secret | 2 Comments »
Out of all the days of the week I am most frequently nostalgic and melancholy on Sunday. Today has been a good day. And its not over. I have about 25 drawings to finish by Wednesday and a painting due on Tuesday. I haven’t even considered my ceramics projects this weekend.
I received some inspiration today from a drawing of a very good friend. I have started drawing past lovers, girlfriends, and crushes. This is a big step away from my norm. Its not like me to confront these past memories in such an intimate way. When drawing someone you know, or have known for a long time it can be a very powerful experience. Sometimes its quite uncomfortable, other times its soothing. I don’t know if I will ever post these here, but I know that I will have a secret link on my website to the images so I can see them wherever I go. I guess I think of these studies as a tribute to all those who were kind enough to care about me and those who I shared powerful moments with.
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