Tanya, portrait in black and white for the Beauty Project

The last weeks have been very busy. I am getting ready for the Beauty Project show in Antwerp on May 29. I am taking photos of volunteer models, working on the book, doing interviews, and trying to get it all together in order to self publish the book in time for the opening. The media coverage has been great, with numerous event calendars picking up the show. There is a radio interview this week or next, and a feature magazine article about the project coming up in (A)Way magazine, published out of Belgium. The name of the book will be Exploring Beauty: we are who we are, and here find the beauty that lies therein. The website is www.exploringbeauty.org.

This picture of Tanya is amazing. I think it shows an amazing confidence. Her belief in the mission of the project comes through in this photo. Keep checking the website to see more models and their interviews.

Charcoal sketch, Il Sun

 

This was a very quick sketch, 15 minutes. Sometimes, the quicker the better.

Portrait sketch in charcoal, from a live model at the International Art Club

 

This was a about a 20 minute sketch. I enjoyed making it, and felt good about how it captured the model's likeness.

Word Cloud

This work of the week is a word cloud, created in Wordle and based on 15 interviews of women for the Beauty Project. (A word cloud makes the size of the word a function of its frequency. The more the word is used, the bigger it is.)

For the Beauty Project, I interview each model about why she is volunteering, how she sees her body, and her conceptions of beauty. I then pair the interviews with photographs of the models in order to expand the understanding of what is beautiful. It's been a fun project. The website continues to evolve and grow.

The Beauty Project

Linda, the model photographed here, is one of the 15 model volunteers so far for "The Beauty Project."

The Beauty Project explores and expands the notion of beauty in the photographs and words of volunteer models. Each model is interviewed about why she is volunteering, about how she sees her body, and her conceptions of beauty. The model’s image is paired with her interview. The project will be presented as a show in Antwerp on May 29.

The mission statement: We believe that beauty is not always thin and beauty is not always young. In the Beauty Project, women are invited to explore their thoughts about the nature of beauty. The pairing of their ideas and images expands the definition of what is beautiful. The Beauty Project shows images of real women of all ages and body types. It pairs photographs of real women with the words of the models, and hopes that these images and ideas can make a difference in expanding the understanding of what is beautiful. We are who we are, and here we find the beauty that lies therein.We believe that beauty is not always thin and beauty is not always young. In the Beauty Project, women are invited to explore their thoughts about the nature of beauty. The pairing of their ideas and images expands the definition of what is beautiful. ">

The website for the project was launched yesterday. (See www.thebeautyprojectart.com ) There you can read Linda's interview and learn some fascinating insights about Dutch attitudes towards health and beauty.

Life drawing, Bart

Charcoal on paper
About 2 by 3 feet

Life drawing with charcoal is one of life's great joys. Bart, the model, is a pro and knows how to make interesting poses. Here, he looks a little down, but that's just the pose.

The folks at the International Art Club are part of my art posse. We whoop it up every other Tuesday night from 7:30 to 10:00. Come down and join the fun!

Winter landscape

Oil on linen
120x100 cm (about 3.9 by 3.3 feet)

Inspirations were the winter colors here in the Hague, the Irish landscape to the south of Dublin, the Dutch painter Tom Schulten, and the abstract expressionist painter Nicolas de Staël (1914 –1955).

Henny

Charcoal on paper
about 36 by 24 inches

This is a quick drawing of 30 minutes. You can see the model falling half-asleep, somehow capturing the atmosphere in the IAC club during the live model session. I like the relatively straight line from lower left to top right of the composition.

Long winter shadows, frozen lake, The Hague

Oil on Linen
30x40 cm (about 12x16 inches)

You can see pictures of the process of making the painting from yesterday's blog entry.(http://hagenoffindenhaag.blogspot.com/) It was painted from life. It is beautiful painting in the snow, I've always wanted to do this.

Green and yellow structure #1

Oil on canvas
100 x 120 cm (3.3 x 4.0 ft)

This is a former work of the week that I decided to revisit. (The original work is at http://erik-hagen.blogspot.com/2009/09/pink-structure-with-yellow-bits.html .) I like the color scheme of the revised, current painting better. I still have not decided on a final title. But I did enjoy creating this fantasy world populated by small people. Details of the painting are shown below.

PittyPat and TippyToe

Oil on Linen
30x40 cm

My mother grew up reading a children's book about PittyPat and Tippytoe. This is her favorite image from that book. If you are thinking, "Christmas present," you've guessed right.

Blue and Orange fields

Oil on Cotton
40x60 cm

Morning under the tree

Oil on Linen
120 x 95 centimeter

I get a Christmas-morning feeling from this painting, something about being a kid and enjoying the colors and presents under the tree. Festive!

Four Square #4

Oil on Linen
95x75 centimeter

A festive time of year, and a festive painting for you. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all.

Li

Photograph.
Part of the 'Beauty Project'

I have been busy on a photo series for the "Beauty Project." You can see more pictures by clicking on "Beauty Project" from www.potamoi.com. The main idea of the project is to promote non-standard beauty ideals, with real women of all ages and body types. There will be a show in Antwerp, followed by a live jazz jam session on May 29, 2010, so save the date!