Tuesday 28 July 2009

Daddy, will you draw me as I sleep?


So I did - my daughter when she was about 5-years-old, 11 years ago (she is a 'grown-up' now). (Click on my pics for an expanded view). It was just a quick and very hasty pastel sketch taking only 1o minutes or in poor light whilst she slept like an angel. I read her a story and when she fell asleep I did this on whatever paper I could find at the time... some discarded grey cartridge paper, but I was pleased with the result and so was she. It is probably the most spontaneous work I have ever done in pastels and, of course, my most loved for obvious reasons; further more, I find it extremely difficult to draw the human form. I need more practice! Yes I did 'life' classes at art school etc, but we humans are so difficult to paint and draw - must be some kind of 'mental' block I have... hands and feet are a no-go area for my art! People expect a portrait to look like them - whereas dogs and cats don't... you can hide your mistakes easier with animal art but not so with people. Camille (one of my Blog followers) commented on my self study earlier... about the execution on my own hand shown; It is probably the first time I have painted a hand that looks half human... and really, the painting was never completely finished... it expressed enough of me at the time so I moved on.

2 comments:

  1. Robert Good Afternoon!
    That your work in pastel, portraits where your daughter is lovely.
    While I have no artistic skills, I appreciate immensely the art.
    I believe that people actually portray is very hard because the human being has in its structure a range of feelings and senses that are perceived by those who love the art.
    Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Sil for your comment. I believe that perception is 'coloured' by our soul's history, though many lifetimes. Like one's eyes are the windows to the soul, so too is art. Look into a person's eyes and see the 'true' person... look and study their art and see 'their' soul speaking, crying out and rejoicing - in an effort to be listened to and noticed amidst the noise of the world, this 'school' we all have to graduate from.

    ReplyDelete