Djoa

The first drawing is a quick sketch done at the International Art Club of The Hague, perhaps 15 or 20 minutes.   The second drawing is a more finished drawing of about 30 minutes.

These should have been posted last week, as last week's 'work of the week,' but I didn't have time to post the image.  I'm madly preparing for the opening in Antwerp in just a few weeks time, May 29. I am working on a large painting for the opening in Antwerp, also a portrait. I will share this portrait withy you here on May 29, to coincide with the opening and the official unveiling of the portrait.  I can't wait to share it with you all!

Li, charcoal sketches

The setting: the International Art Club The Hague, life portrait drawing class. My friend Li was the model for the day.  (The advantage of being the coordinator for the class is that I get to pick the models.)

I labored over the first two drawings of 25 minutes each. Then, we did a quick ten minute sketch, the first image shown here.  I didn't have time to overthink it. For me, the result somehow captures something of the character of the model, the warmth of the spring day, and the setting of  a sleepy, too-warm classroom.

The second drawing is one of the more finished 25 minute drawings.  The hair, which was transformed from a boring wallpaper into something more alive and interesting is entirely to the credit of my portrait mentor, Pien Hazenburg.

Portrait in charcoal

We had a great model at the IAC. Her face has such character! This is about a 20 minute pose or so.

Tina

This week's model at the International Art Club of The Hague was loads of fun. Drawing in charcoal from life is one of life's great pleasures. This is a sketch of about 20 minutes.

Li

I couldn't choose which of these two images to use for the work of the week. The second captures Li's likeness well, but the first has a richness in depth that comes from the 3/4 profile and the variation in tone. But the first is subtle, and does more with less.

Portraits are going well this week. Charcoal is a wonderful medium.

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.