Editing

The new year seems to be a good time for sorting through a heavy pile of twelve months of figure drawings. My teacher has requested a drawing or two from each student to exhibit at the River Gallery during February. I picked out my favorites as I organized the pile and taped them up in my tiny studio. This is the almost final cut - an even dozen (charcoal and one abstract pastel).

Editing is a skill in itself, worthy of honing just like laying a graduated wash. I am working on this. Don't you wish more people practiced editing? Just think of viewing all the photos your sister took on her vacation. I'd rather see the 5 really good ones; the ones with the interesting story or the beautifully composed ones.

So many considerations...I think my teacher will like this one. Maybe this one is too explicit. Will anyone else appreciate this one? This is quite a good likeness of the model. Those are not real criteria, in this case. I need to decide which of my 12 "best" really please me; which one is the successful result of my goals for that particular drawing. I will ponder this until Tuesday when I will deliver my choice for the wall. By then I may be able to articulate my goals, which right now must have something to do with 'expressive' quality, 'interest in all areas of the picture', 'mystery.'....

First Friday in Brattleboro 5:30 til 8:30 and all the rest of the month at River Gallery School of Art...