Chris Ludke Plein Air Drawings
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News/Annoucements 6/8/2011
See the link to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and a link to a soulfull surrealist and a cool art mag see the announcements page.
Read More.

Beauty From India

Collage Image 15" x 21"

My model is a terra cotta figure at the VMFA. Her nose is broken and her feet are missing. I fixed her with art.

The marble pavillion is also at the VMFA.

They have a gallery with a lot of scenes with figures from India painted in opaque watercolor. A lot of them are on a floral border. I studied the style and made up this border.

The plaque says she came off a temple and there was originally a goose with her drinking the water she's wringing out of her hair. I decided to make a swan.

This picture must be exceptional, by the reaction I got from the first juror that saw it.

beauty-from-india.jpg


la-riviere.jpg

La Riviere

Pastel Image 14" x 17"

My model is La Riviere by Maillol in the sculpture garden at the VMFA.

For the background I went down to the James River at Belle Isle to do a study of the rapids and pick the colors for the water.

I did my underdrawing for the figure in dark reds to warm her up, because she's made of dark grey lead. And I made the highlights on the figure with greyish blue. I think these colors make her look like she's in the water with some white foam splashing up on her.


The Artist In The Garden

Pastel Image 20" x 26"

With figure drawing, large is easier than small, so I challenged myself here to draw smaller and give up detail, but keep accuracy.

My model was Venus. I took away her seashell and gave her an easle. I reversed the figure so she would be left handed. Now most people think this is me. So I considered drawing a t shirt and shorts on her, but decided not to. I let it up to you to decide if this is me :-)

the-artist-in-garden.jpg


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Studies of Venus

Pastel and Conte Pencil

I was hanging around the VMFA for a couple weels drawing Venus. I memorized the pose, and got these value studies. I planned to change the pose and call her the Muse.


The Muse Under the Weeping Cherry

Collage 19" x 25"

When I go under the weeping cherry tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, I feel like a kid in a tree fort.

The figure is a variation of my studies of Venus. She's not the main focal point here, but a part of nature.

Doing this as a collage helpd me work out this complicated plan to show spotty light and give a lot of depth to the picture.

The figure is conte pencil on pastel paper.

I built up a lot of layers with different types of paper and also used pastel and acrylic paint.

muse-under-cherry-tree.jpg


Mule Deer / Ceremonial Mask Sculptural

I bought the skull of the mule deer years ago as a souveineer from CO. when I entered an art show in Boulder. When I got home, I drew the skull, then put it in storage. In June I decided to throw it away, but I got the call to enter the mask show on the same day. I had seen the great collection of ceremonial masks at the VMFA, and decided to use it.

Ceremonial masks were made to be scary. They are on a long pole so the shaman didn't have the weight on his head. The shaman would wear elaborate robes and parade around with the mask to impress the people it was time for a sacrifice.

I put strobe lights in the eye sockets. That's fake fur. The glyphs are just random glyphs that I like from the book"The Maya" by Micheal Coe.

This was a fun project for me.

The Moon Goddess Charms Quetzalcoatl

This is 2 Mayan characters that I like. So I put them together in a collage. Quetzalcoatl is the feathered serpent.
I imagine the goddess would charm him with the hypnotic rhythm of her marraccas. The Mayans put glyphs on their pictures.
These glyphs have been translated. They say " Good , said Pauahtun Itzamna."
He was a king. From the book "The Maya" by Michael D. Coe.

I used strips of bark in the background over an acrylic wash.
I like the texture and colors of the bark, and tried to use it before in a picture, but it didn't work till now.

cleopatra.jpg


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The Corn God Returns From the Underworld

The Corn God was in the Underworld. It's a dark and scary place.
He returns to the land of the living in a canoe paddled by 2 other gods and attended by 2 maidens.

I made up a cypress swamp in the background, because I always like looking at spooky swamps.
It's my illustration of the Mayan ressurrection story.
I made the figures like they are shown in Mayan art, flat and outlined. It was a fun project.


Dec 21st, 2010 4:30 PM
My models are 2 life size bronze figures at the VMFA.
The tree is called a Fringe tree.
The leaves stayed on all winter making a texture like oval shingles. The birds represent spirits.

It was a challenge to make this complicated picture, and collage helped me work it out. These beautiful brown girls are celebrating the last winter solstice at the end of the world.

cleopatra.jpg


little_girl_reading.jpg

Mayan Spirits Talking About the Apocalypse
I took a collage class at the Visual Art Center, and had fun making these faces. I'm exploring collage more.

little_girl_reading.jpg

Male-w-Instrument.JPG
Male w/ Instrument

Ancient Maya Terra Cotta Figures
I enjoyed drawing these figures at The VMFA because they have so much personality.

Working on these drawings made me want study their style of art, and refresh my memory about their culture and legends.


cleopatra.jpg
Male w/ Staff

cleopatra.jpg
Seated Female


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Standing Female

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The Corn God


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The Shaman

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The Dancer


little_girl_reading.jpg
18 x 26 Pastel

Shelby and the Egyptian Moon Dance Troupe
When I drew thr first dancer I thought it looked like my friend Shelby, and I wanted to put her on the stage at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.

There was plenty of room on the stage, so I put the troupe in the picture.


Cleopatra
This is my second drawing of her, smaller and in color.

water_nymph.jpg


little_girl_reading.jpg
19 x 24 Pastel

Little Girl Reading on the Butterfly Bench
I think this is my best one yet. It was difficult and took months to finish. I wouldn't call this realism.

I changed the perspective a lot, and made up the shadows.


The Water Nymph
This is a study of Egeria, carved in marble by Chauncey Ives at the VMFA.

The story is, she was the wife of the 2nd king of Rome. When he died she morphed into a pool of water.

I took these photographs of my drawings, and the graphite looks shiny in the photos.

water_nymph.jpg
Graphite, Charcoal, and White Conte Pencil
10 x 14


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Before The Egg Hunt
When I was planning this picture I scouted Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
for a scene that the figure would fit into.

I stood under the weeping cherry tree and looked at the garden through the branches. I thought it was beautiful with the white blossoms like a veil, and put it in the foreground.

When I went back a few days later the petals were falling like snow under the tree.


Charcoal and Conte Pencil Sketch for the Egg Hunt
This is the first step. I wanted to draw the figure at 10" because I planned to put her in the middle ground. It still took me a long time to get this rough.

I want to be as accurate as I can with the charcoal, because I can't make her more beautiful than the statue. If I go off at the first step it's harder to correct later.

before-hunt-ip.jpg


the-conservatory-in-feb.jpg

The Conservatory in February
I got the charcoal sketch of the figure started before the snow.
I enjoyed drawing inside the conservatory when snow was on the ground for weeks.
It was fun for me to put one of my favorite statues from Hollywood Cemetery
into the flowery interior at Lewis Ginter's garden.
I think her dress is flowery too.


The Fisher Boy
This is my study of the marble sculpture by Hiram Powers at the VMFA.

He was an American artist who went to Italy.

Powers said the fisher boy holding the conch shell to his ear represents the boy listening to "the still small voice of God."

the_fisher_boy.jpg
Graphite and White Conte Pencil
12 x 16


godess-of-harvest.jpg

The Goddess
My model is a sad stone angel on her knees at a grave, holding a lap full of flowers. When I was
drawing with charcoal I noticed her knee isn’t touching the ground. This drawing was difficult
the whole way. I wanted to make her less sad. I changed her arms and hands, and made up a
horn of plenty. The still life was a problem. I had to do one piece at a time, and the fruits and veggies spoiled before I finished.

When I was finished I was excited, because it worked out finally. And I like looking at it because
there’s a floating feel to it that wasn’t planned.


Remember Neda
When I worked on this drawing it made me think of the people living under oppression. Some of the people responsible for my freedom are dead.

I want to thank the vets and everyone serving in our armed forces.

remember-neda.jpg


admin@chrisludke.com
I’m always interested in feedback on my drawings. Please feel free to comment. I’ll answer e mail, maybe not immediatly. Thanks for visiting my site. Chris