“Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls”
Is this what ya’ll were expecting? I love when I see Hollywood depictions of Artists creating sensually connected works of Art. Think Ghost with Demi Moore, and of course Leonardo with Kate in Titanic! That was kind of a spite drawing wasn't it?
I get asked this question at happy hour and cocktail parties all the time: “Does an Artist’s life really play out like those steamy sensual scenes from the movies?” Short answer is yes, it does! At least sometimes. At least enough to remind yourself of how great life is to feel such power. Whatever your muse is. This connection does not have to be a person, or even a noun, but rather a state of being.
“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.”
Not sure there is a better way to describe it. Art is life. 24/7. Even when grocery shopping.
“An Irish Girl or Annie” by Anders Zorn 1894 Collection of the National Gallery of Art
Anders Zorn’s “An Irish Girl or Annie” is a perfect example of how artwork can evoke a deep sense of intimacy. I first saw this etching at the National Gallery here in Washington, D.C. years ago. I was in a particularly emotional state of mind, and I kept thinking to myself that there is a tenderness in this etching that goes beyond friendship. Was she his muse? This certainly feels like a muse to me! However innocent or not the true story is, that's what I feel. It's great fun to stroll through a museum with this thought of connection between Artist and subject. What was the relationship here on display? Your thoughts?
We will do this with the great John Singer Sargent one day soon.
This painting is inevitable: eventually.
This small, life-sized eye is the first drawing of my fiancé Maria. (See chapter one of the story here.) I created it for myself and it will always remind me of the power of Artistic intimacy. This charcoal drawing also has an even greater side story, but you will have to buy me a drink to hear that one!
So many decisions have to come together, organically or not, that shape the direction of a painting. One trick that I use is to find a word that best expresses what you are feeling. As the last article mentions, I save this intent for the moment that I am in front of my subject. Be honest with yourself. What is the conversation in your head right now?
Write it down and make your future decisions conform to this thought. Writing it down reminds you as the weeks, months (or years as in this case) go by, your intent. The why. The roadmap to how. Just in case you forget. When I walk by this little eye sitting on our mantel I remember why I am an Artist.
“My Eye” Charcoal on toned paper. I was definitely drawing this to affect someone.
Art, in all its forms, is indeed a continuous, evolving conversation between the Artist, their muse, and the world around them.
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