JOU, Portrait 4, about 14 x 10″, charcoal and graphite, June 2012
I’ve been doodling my way through the summer, spending time until we begin our extended trip to the family homestead in the Appalachian mountains of northern Pennsylvania.
The doodles (and doddles) included three review sessions with Jeff Burke. Jeff teaches The Fieldguide to the Human Figure at Hipbone Studio on SE Burnside and was doing his portrait sessions. I had taken his full class some years ago and decided to re-up my skills at these three Saturday workshops.
One thing that happened is that I have gotten better at portraying faces. I don’t have the ambition to find the “before” photos of the last time I did portraits with Jeff, but these, done in graphite and charcoal, seem better to me:
JOU, Portrait 1, about 12 x 8″, charcoal and graphite, June, 2012, from live model
JOU, Portrait 3, about 14 x 10″, charcoal and graphite, June 2012, from live model
JOU, Portrait 5, about 14 x 12″, charcoal and graphite, June, 2012. From live model
Jou, Portrait 7, about 16 x12″, charcoal and graphite, June 2012. From live model.
I had painted some portraits from photos in January:
JOU, CJ’s School Photo, 10 x 10″, oil on canvas, 2012
JOU, CJ as Young Sailor, 10 x 10″, oil on canvas, 2012
JOU, CJ about 1978, 10 x 10″, oil on canvas, 2012
All the paintings were done from photos, as was this drawing, done this June while I was taking the portrait workshop:
JOU, Mom, about 1978, about 14 x 10″, charcoal and graphite, 2012. From photo.
These last four are evidence of a tentative notion I have about doing some family portraits. Family portraits are dangerous because of the artist’s ineptitude (studio models are accustomed to ineptitude — and seldom look at what is being drawn or painted). However, working with family faces is fascinating and fits with other notions I have about having an intimate knowledge with what it is that I am painting.
This is one of those long-term projects that hops up in the in-between spaces of my life — like early summer, before the pending trip. The trip itself will present me with a lot of family (we are staying at the family homestead where I will be painting the landscape and taking lots of family photos). I’m hoping to incorporate some of this into my stash of work.
In addition, I’m continuing my doddling doodles with another workshop (“The Figure in Landscape”) and some very green paintings. But these faces should suffice for the nonce. –June
juneunderwood.com 
8 responses to “Summer: Faces”
These are wonderful, especially Grammie Ann’s. I think she has a secret 🙂
It was scary — and hard — even to get that far with Mom’s face. It’s from a photo in which she’s a tiny figure, but staring right at the camera (it’s the one I showed on southeastmain). I didn’t feel it was right and some of the marks were done last, in frustration. But they seem to have worked better than the ones they were drawn over.
Thanks, Kathy, for the affirmation!
June, I packed a sketchbook and had it at the hospital the other day. I was hoping this time away from my studio would encourage me to do more drawing. I cast about the room for something to draw and settled on a travel mug I’d transported my coffee in. I just about got the general outlines sketched in and was pondering what needed adjusting and where to add detail and shading when Judi pulled the table it was sitting on over to her so she could reach her drink. She froze, looked me in the eye and said – oops, sorry. For what, I asked. I just changed your perspective. Yeah, if she could have seen how bad that sketch was, she’d understand she had done me a favor! Later I thought I should have tried sketching her it’s been awhile since I’ve done any portraits too. Seeing what you’ve been up to is inspiring me to give it a try.
I’m delighted to be an inspiration. And sketching on the road is good, because you never expect very much of yourself. Or at least I don’t. Of course, I don’t expect very much of myself at home, either, so I guess you can discount the words of (not) wisdom above. Anyway, just doodle while you doddle — and later you’ll see how good you really did:-)
Loved the ones of CJ. Wait til you see the grown sons, your last pic of CJ looks like them. Plus, both Mike and I think your mom’s pic is the best!
Thanks, Kitty, I can’t wait to see the grown-up kids.
I’m relieved that you and Mike approve of the family pics. They were really hard to do — I knew the faces too well to be satisfied with my efforts. And of course, both Mom and CJ are so beloved in the family that it would be possible to go very wrong.
I never was able to get Mom’s right in paint, although the workshop I’m taking now might provide me with some tools.
See you in August! I’m really missing everyone.
Drawing your family will not only teach you more about them than you ever thought possible, but also about yourself. Been there.
Thanks, Barbara. Thus far, it’s only made me more affectionate toward people I already loved dearly. But it’s early days yet. Also tremendously aware of the awkward paths life takes us all on.