10.1.08 - 31/365

back to the drawing board

i began this project largely to reconnect with my work as a painter,
i figured that going back to my roots would be a good place to start.
and since participating in the 365days pool for just 1 month
has already plugged me back into something essential as a photographer
i figured, that given my daily process as a painter
i needed to really bring it into the studio.

of the 5 journals that i paint in every day,
one is always something from life
and sometimes these drawings are self portraits.
when i began this project,
i knew that at some point
it would involve this work

this for me brings up a real insecurity,
one far greater than any i have about my physical flaws;
basically
i became a photographer
because i couldn't draw...
as an art major,
i was so intimidated by not being a natural draftsperson
that i never took a painting class

years later,
after teaching myself to paint
i did take up life drawing
which
(in spite of my handicap)
i loved,
and after some time
i found
that i could draw a bit better

so for the next month
(or maybe more)
this is what i will be doing:
making at least 1 drawing a day of myself
and posting it as my self portrait.
i don't know if it will always include a photograph as well.

often in the studio
i have to "trick" myself into working.
making my intentions public is one of those tricks
once i say something out loud
i feel obligated to follow it through
and i know that the thought,
that this work will be seen,
is going to force me to concentrate much harder on my journal project than i have for some time.

the reality is
i've been coasting a bit these past 2 years,
just making the drawings
without any real commitment
except for last summer
when i was preparing for a show
(and as synchronicity would have it, i sent that work out exactly a year ago today)

all that's about to change...
making today's post was a lot harder than i thought it would be

i did make a really great discovery however:
i can use photo booth as both a mirror
and to make an image to work from,
having the reference point of a photograph
makes it a lot easier to resume a pose
after changing your position
whether it's to stretch
or just to look down at the page