figure drawing

I took a figure drawing class in the fall of 2008. I actually thought I was mediocre when it came to drawing the figure, but I quickly realized I had lost any skill I had acquired during my undergraduate figure drawing classes. Drawing is like a muscle and if you don't work it out you will certainly lose that muscle.

I tend to focus on line in all forms of art and that is obvious in my drawing. Hopefully my lines have a sense of energy and movement. I was focusing more on expressive line quality than accurately creating the illusion of 3 dimensional form. This wasn't necessarily by choice, as much as habit. I definitely have some bad drawing habits that I need to break. Even though I still need to work on my drawing skills, I am happy with the small collection of drawings that I have from this class.

Once upon a time...

Jeanne-Claude, 74, American artist and resident of New York City, died suddenly November 18, 2009 as a result of of complications due to a ruptured brain aneurysm.
Christo is deeply saddened by the passing of his wife, partner and collaborator and is committed to honor the promise they made to each other many years ago: The art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude will continue.
Christo is dedicated to completing their current works in progress: Over The River, Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado, and The Mastaba, Project for the United Arab Emirates, as Jeanne-Claude would wish.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in Paris, France in November, 1958, sharing the same date of birth and have worked together for 51 years creating temporary works of art.

(christojeanneclaude.net)

I am so saddened by this news. I love the artwork from Christo and Jeanne-Claude. I feel as though I have lost a close friend. I watched a documentary about their most recent project, The Gates, this weekend and it was so bittersweet to see Jeanne-Claude speak about the temporary character of their artwork. She explained that their artwork is temporary because it is an aesthetic decision to give love and tenderness to things that will not last. Jeanne-Claude compared this same experience to childhood and our own lives. She will be missed.