Thursday, May 28, 2009

“Le Papillon”



Small work, charcoal and white pastel on Mylar, 9×7”

This young French student artist wandered into my studio one evening during our open studio event. I liked her look and thought she would be a good model for my Black Butterfly series, so I asked if she would mind posing for a few photos. We had a fun visit, and she showed me her lovely Moleskine sketch journal and we also exchanged emails.

I took quite a few great photos of Melodie, so I most likely will do another small work or two from them. She was a delight. Also, I am happy to realize that “Melodie” is the Muse of Music.

These small studies present their own challenges. I like to complete them in one sitting and the scale is difficult for detail, but I feel that I did capture the subject's hopefulness and creativity in this small work.




2 comments:

Karen Appleton said...

Hey Alice! The eyes tell a thousand stories in this portrait. I am entranced! The entire portrait exudes heartfelt feeling. Perfect addition to this series!

Alice McMahon said...

Thank you Karen, Melodie and I really clicked, even with the language barrier. She was very pleased with the portrait, and is now back to studying art in France. I decided to frame the drawing in a standard matte and frame, I'll use the vintage frame for one of my next works instead.