A Man and his Art in Drawing Number 78.

My drawing number 78 of the 80 I wished to finish for the black and white version of my book Moments in Light and Shadow was a remake of the painting I made earlier from a photograph of a well known gallery owner and curator. I had photographed him about ten years earlier in his loft studio sitting amongst his books and art work. I was especially fond of the tall bronze statue. The poem for this work was eventually named "Tall Bronze Woman," after this statue. I gave the painting the same title.

Fortunately, I still had the original photograph in my archive from which to create a new drawing. The painting was ten inches square, which cropped off a number of details in the photograph. This time, I made the charcoal drawing 11" x 14", allowing for more room to rearrange the elements. As you can see from the original painting, a number of things have been reconfigured, and I introduced a clear view of a background painting.

For the drawing, I decided to have a bit of fun with the model’s expression. In the original painting, he is somber - perhaps in keeping with a line in the poem which includes the word "deadpan." This time I decided to make the subject look as though he were suppressing laughter - hardly a poker face.

When I posted this drawing online recently, a number of people recognized the elements in the picture: the man, the art, who made the art and even who now owns it. I am happy to have jogged some pleasant memories.