Core Strength

I found this figure in the 6th Ave flea market, NYC. The guy said it's from Mawli. The figure is metal at it's core. It appears fragile but is quite sturdy. It's travelled far and is still held together essentially by mud.

I carried it home in my suitcase and had a stand built for it. I love this figure. I have wanted to do some art around it for a long time. I'm not satisfied with the drawing. It's too stiff and cartoony.

pencil drawing

ink drawing

These mash-ups on photoshop are better but still don't capture the grit and magic of the figure. The dangling beads, the funk of the fir, the sense of wrapped and unraveling are missing from the work so far. 

I don't know if I can do it. I'm going to set it aside for now and come back to it later.

More faces

Here's the latest....

Any favorites?

Friendly faces...

I seem to be fixated on faces right now. I started this statue study to focus on the figure and to get a better understanding of abstraction of the human form. But now I'm captivated by faces.

Here's the statue I'm working on now

This figure is another from childhood. We broke the left hand off long ago. 

The first sketch in ink

My semester project has been puppets. They are finally close to complete. Now I am creating 2-D images of the 3-D figures. It's sort of like painting a portrait of a friend.

Face to Face

watercolor, no background yet...

Growing up I loved the challenge of trying to balance this figure on it's pedestal. When I began sketching I naturally focused on capturing balance. As I sketched the face became more interesting. Sketching can reveal new directions.

color manipulated photo

I'm playing with color in both statue and the backgrounds. It's difficult to tell if it's working.  What do you think?

which one?

Do you have a favorite? If so why do you prefer one over the other?