Figuratively Speaking...

I'd forgotten how much I love working with the human figure and then this week it all came flooding back. Funny how you take a turn in life or in art and in do so leave behind part of yourself for a while. It's not a bad thing, just a turn you're taking. When another turn takes you back to that forgotten or set aside part of yourself it's such a wonderful feeling of homecoming. I've taken a number of figure drawing classes over the years and enjoyed each and every one of them. But when they're done I tend to be done and I leave the figure behind. Because of the She Art Workshop I'm taking online I've returned to the human figure and I'm enjoying it so much.

What I love is the way our body movements and gestures can convey a super clear message without words. You've probably all seen the Willow Tree figures that are hugely popular, she doesn't draw faces she just shows figures in different positions and those positions tell a story. I know the no faces thing bothers some people but I think just as many of us like them blank. I like it because then you really do notice the figure and how it's positioned, and because then I can sort of insert my own idea of what that person looks like. Suddenly the sculpture becomes much more personal because I've injected my own vision into it. I hope this makes sense.

It's also been super fun to see all the different she girls that all the class participants are making. You can see them too by checking out the official She Art Workshop flickr group here. And here are a peek at my next two girls. I haven't added text to any of them yet, other then a "faith" stamp I added to the backgrounds. It's really been a fun week, and I can't wait for the next two. A couple of people have mentioned that Christy plans on offering this class again in April. If so, I would highly recommend it. It's SO much fun. I'll be back soon with more sneak peeks. Thanks!