New Work - End of Summer 2013.

Drypoints in 2013: Different sizes of plates for the Takach (large) press and the Halfwood (small) Press

"Caitlin in September" Drypoint engraving on aluminum, (September, 2013).

I am so lucky to be able to draw portraits, and there is no pleasure greater for me than that moment when I give a portrait to the model, and I see a smile in their face and eyes. Recently, when I gave Caitlin her portrait, her smile lit up the room and my heart. This portrait is titled "Caitlin in September" and it is a drypoint engraving on aluminum of a very special and talented young woman. Made in September 2013 and printed on Hahnemuhle Bright White paper on my Takach Press.

I tend to rotate my work around three themes: Portraits, nudes, and ballet dancers, doing about one third of each over time. Sometimes the work intersects, or I do a few of each using the same model. I have been working on a series of figure studies of a dancer that I know and the "September Figure Sketch 1" and "September Figure Sketch 2" are examples of that work. They are both very small (4 by 8 inches) and are designed for printing on my portable Halfwood Press. The third image ("Sway", 4 by 8 inches) is of a friend who had a birthday recently...a beautiful person who has been an inspiration for me for years. I am adding touches of color to this series too - stay tuned!

Penelope (2013) is a small sized (8 by 10 inch) drypoint engraving on aluminum made in August 2013, and Itzel (2013) is also a small (6 by 8 inch) portrait of one of the little dancers at the El Paso Conservatory of Dance. Itzel was a mouse for Nutcracker recently when I was performing as Drosselmeyer and her smaller portrait is sized for the Halfwood "Galleon" press. Penelope is a typical of the kind-hearted and pleasant personalities of the kids at the El Paso Conservatory of Dance - I enjoy spending time chatting with her mom in the waiting room in class (when I should really be in the studio drawing). They are a great family.

Ximena with her Portrait, August, 2013

Some of the kids at the El Paso Conservatory of Dance are very talented and bright. I was watching one of them in rehearsal and class a little while ago and I was struck by how alert and intelligent she was, so I worked on trying to depict these qualities in a portrait of her - and it turned out pretty much as I'd hoped. Here is the model with her portrait (image made in August 2013).

""Kayla"" Drypoint engraving on aluminum, (2013)

Kayla (2013) is a regular sized (8 by 10 inch) drypoint engraving on aluminum made in September 2013. Kayla is a delightful, sweet young lady who doesn't fit the usual set of Latina types I find to draw here in El Paso - she is a dancer with wonderful long blonde curly hair and I loved trying to depict it's qualities under control (almost) in the ballet hairstyle, along with trying to capture her personality in a soft, pensive mood (actually while she was taking class at the barre).