A Drawing to Show

Aqui Estoy. (my talent that is).

I don't think I have ever officialy shared my own art on this site so this is completely new. This is a study of Raphael's detail of Santa Barbara from "Sistine Madonna", 1512. I used to make a lot studies of renaissance paintings in art school but have not made one in about 2 years. This one I made two nights ago. I began at 11:30pm and finished around 3:15am. Regardless of my lack of sleep that night, I had a lot of fun making it. I was using a cheap No. 2 pencil so I had some trouble blending and getting the right tonal values and effects I wanted. There also are some proportional aspects I can work on and I had to make up the right part of her face because the picture I was drawing from had cropped her face up to her right cheek, so the ear and the hairstyle is mostly my doing. But beyond anaylytical criticism, I think I did a pretty good job with my limited medium. I have had a recent surge of inspiration and I am going to make the most of it. I have made some more shoe drawings...my earlier ones you can take a look at from my website.

The quote that I wrote next to it is from the Last Canto of Dante. Here it is:

In that abyss I saw how love held bound
Into one volume all the leaves whose flight
Is scattered through the universe around;
How substance, accident, and mode unite;
Fused, so to speak, together, in such wise;
That this I tell of: one simple light.

Pretty much I made this study from a book I just read called "Birth of Venus", which takes place in Florence during the Renaissance. The picture is used on the cover of the book and the quote is from the novel itself (Just in case you are wondering, I am not to well versed in Dante. I just really liked the quote.) The book left an impression on me because I am completely amoured with the Renaissance and it's history. Seriously...I am obssesed with Venetian painting (especialy Titian) and own books on the Medici art and history.

I will be taking my sketch book with me to Mexico so I can't wait to see what inspires me there and what artistic inspirations I bring back with me. I will be heading to Frida Kahlo's house! I can't wait to be standing on those pyrimads and to look at the works of Rivera, Siquieros and Orozco with a more appreciative eye than the one I had at age 12. Bueno, I really do have to go now. I'll probably blog next week because I won't have access to the internet until next Tuesday. I hope you all have a great weekend! Hasta Luego!