Parallel Practice / Figure Drawings
2023-Present
Olivia, charcoal on paper, 19” x 22.5”
Parallel Practice is an ongoing series of figure drawings made with a small group of artist friends who meet every two weeks. Life drawing is an important part of my artistic practice. It provides a counterbalance to the work I do in my studio, which is based on photographic source material. While photographs offer me great freedom as an artist, they are one step removed from reality, the subjects flattened both spatially and temporally. Drawing from the live model is a way of reconnecting with the world, of engaging directly with a real subject occupying a real space.
One of the important aspects of life drawing are the time constraints that define each pose. These can range from five minutes to a couple of hours, and they force me to work quickly and economically. In my studio, I can take as long as I want with a particular image, and I can easily get lost in details and lose sight of the bigger picture. Life drawing forces me to be decisive - to search for the essential within a flood of complex sensations.
