Hold That Pose
The last time I modeled for The Floyd Figures Art Group I was a single mom raising two boys and did it for the pay. I may have posed nude. This time, nearly 20 years later, I did it because I admire the artists involved and was inspired to sit for them again after seeing their 2009 twenty-five year retrospective show “Faces of Floyd” at the Jacksonville Center. This time I posed as a fully clothed writer with a pen in hand.
Chris Youngbood, Toni Lambert, Rick Cooley, Charlotte Atkins, and Howard Wagner – worked in pastels, pastel oils, charcoal, and clay as I sat at a table with my notebook open, frozen in position for five 20 minute segments (with a 5 minute break in between).
“Did you write any poetry?” Howard asked at the end of the session, referring to the few times I broke from my pose to scribble in my open notebook. Whatever I wrote, I wasn’t able later to read my own writing. Instead, I told him about how I spaced out to the point of seeing them all in night vision and how I used a tree that looked like a man in the view from the Sun Hall window as my focal point.
It was magic! Each artist’s interpretation was unique and each work had special qualities in a different ways. “I think we’re trying to do the same thing you do when you write a poem,” Rick said.
Post Notes: So now you’ve seen the After. HERE is the Before. Read more about The Floyd Figure Artists 2009 Faces of Floyd HERE.
June 11th, 2010 6:08 pm
Well, you knew someone would ask where the nudes are and I am first so, “Where are the nudes?”
I bet this was a fun sort of zen experience.
June 11th, 2010 6:25 pm
I don’t know where THOSE nudes are. The “before” painting done by isa (linked) was a portrait and the others never were shown. Many of the artists who drew me back then were different ones than the ones who were there this week. I do own one nude that isa, a friend who I sometime modeled for, did of me on another occasion. A number of the pieces shown at the Faces of Floyd show were nudes. That’s just what artists do.
June 11th, 2010 8:12 pm
What a great experience! Each of these art pieces are so special and amazing. I love the idea that they all worked with you as a model. It is nice to see you from all the different angels.
June 11th, 2010 9:58 pm
These are awesome. I like the one on the floor to the right the best. This must of been so much fun to do. xo
June 11th, 2010 11:54 pm
They are in all stages of being done or not. They wanted me to come back to sit the same pose again but I think I will be in Mass. then.
June 13th, 2010 6:10 am
so will one of these become yours to hang? wish i could enlarge this image so i could see them in more detail. 🙁 they are all very interesting perspectives.
June 13th, 2010 6:27 am
They belong to the artists to show.