Brenda Two

For ten years of my life, I went to The Art Students League nearly every Friday night, and drew from a live model.

(See Figure Drawings link.)

I did it so much, that I became like a camera with a fixed lens. The size of the figure in the drawing was completely dependent upon how close I was to the model. In order to include the entire figure, I had to be standing at least twenty feet back. If I sat close, I could only draw part of the figure on the same size of paper.

For the first pose, Brenda was as far from me as possible, and so a lot of her body is included in the pastel.

I only had three hours to work with. The complexity of the pose took a lot of time, and so the application of the pastel is fast. Up close, it looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.

For the second pose, my choice this time, I pulled the couch up close. I wanted a simple composition, so I could spend more time on fewer forms. I chose her breasts, as she has fantastic breasts. I told her that I was sure that anyone who viewed her naked would immediately agree.

She assured me that very few people have seen her naked.

Brenda is very modest.