Drawn to Life - Volume 2

11 Pure Performance

It’s very gratifying to see someone in the evening class break loose from the “run-of-the-mill” copying of the model. It happens often, and each time I’m tempted to reproduce them for you. (Instead, I assault you with those tedious critiques.) When those delightful times occur, it seems that the artist has suddenly become freed of all self-consciousness and entered the realm of pure performance in the form of acting/drawing.

In a recent class, Bobby Ruth Mann modeled for us. She posed as a Hawaiian hula dancer — even played some Hawaiian music, via recording, for mood setting. The costume she wore was rather confusing. If you copied what was before you it would have been indefinable. On that evening two artists transcended ...