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 :-)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Male w/ Staff

The Corn God

The Shaman

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.

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.

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.

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 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.