Ruth

Wednesday was a delightful day here in Halifax - proper summer weather! And to top it off, Ruth was wearing a delightful orange sundress (is that what they're called? My fashion sense is abysmal). My only regret is that I chose to start off in charcoal. Well maybe there's another, my drawing was quite stiff to start off with. Anyway, I love the ways these things hang on her.

And as usual she struck some graceful poses.

Anita

I guess I don't exactly provide the best working conditions here. Thanks goodness Anita is a trooper!

Ruth, Working Hard

On Tuesday, I was working with Ruth, and we spent most of the time on longer poses. These can be hard - though this might look easy, try doing it for an hour:

Finally caught up....

Last Friday we worked with Anita, who as usual provided some delightfully difficult warmup poses. I really have to get my litho press working....

Catching up with Anita

With Anita, I have started laying out something more formal, probably along these lines:

Catching up with Ruth

Well, I've been very busy these days (somebody has to go outside and keep track of the sun after all). And Billy is back:

That was taken the day he arrived from Alberta - a long plane ride, followed by a swim and a romp in the mud. As you can see, my Venus de Dartmouth is really stressed.

Meanwhile, I have been active in the studio, both with Ruth and Anita.

Anita

On Friday I was working with Anita, a perfect antidote for this wretched weather we are having. What better way is there to deal with this bleak, grey, sodden period than to go into the studio, crank up the lights and heaters and Charles Mingus, and start drawing? Almost like being at the beach....
All of these are charcoal on newsprint for use as a basis of litho prints, or perhaps a more finished work.