Marcia LaBelle: 2013

Thursday, July 11, 2013

something quiet or contemplative

I drew last Sunday for the first time in several weeks. The pose was superb from all angles whereby I drew on the opposite side of the room and then facing the model – but nothing resolved.
Then I stayed put from this angle.

charcoal on cartridge 18"x24"

July 2013©MCL

pastel and charcoal on toned paper

July 2013©MCL

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Remains of palette

Seems sacrilegious to have spent time indoors today (which is what I did) when it was such a beautiful day outside - but the day isn't over. Unfinished painting, but I will shortly step out beneath a gloriously clear blue sky.

oil on paper 9"x12"

May 2013©MCL

Robe

As in part of wardrobe, or something like that, sort of.

8"x10" oil on gessoed canvas board

May2013 © MCL

8"x10" oil on gessoed canvas board

May2013 © MC

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Man lying on a floor strewn with chalk.

The chalks are actually on my round living room coffee table with the obligatory mug of coffee not in view.

pastel on plain paper 18"x24"

March 2013 © MCL

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Looking back

Pastel on toned paper 18"x24"

November 20 2011
mcohenlabelle (MCL) © 2011

Monday, April 22, 2013

Short poses

The so called virtue of being in the moment during an afternoon of short poses is more like submission to a drill – a willingness or at times unwilling submission to necessity of blackened fingers.
Below a few, mostly compressed charcoal.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Conversation

I roughed out two small studies today - this may or may not develop into more finished work or may simply lead to more studies or both. When you have the desire to go in all directions at once this strategy is one way to cope with that odd impulse

oil on canvas board 9"x7"

oil on canvas board 9"x 12"

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Untitled

This is actually the first piece from the same afternoon in which I painted the study below (wooded). Here I was facing the north east and in the previous post I was looking down immediately to my left on an embankment beside the road on a farm off Mineral Springs Rd.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

wooded

This past week has still been wintery, but not as - I'm looking forward to the approaching weeks of longer days to take myself outside to sketch in nearby areas. The piece below was from end of March a year ago.

off of Mineral Springs Road oil on masonite 18"x12"

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

some from last couple of months

Reclining figures - 'not sleeping' as it were: chalk pastel charcoal pencil etc

Sunday, February 3, 2013

the patient visitor

I don't suppose he has infinite patience nor will I say he'll be back soon - come spring... I hope

pastel and charcoal on prepared water colour paper 18x22

Friday, February 1, 2013

Time flies

I had the opportunity to paint in this factory, now closed, one mid afternoon nearly two years ago -

Siemens factory, cat walk, oil on panel 10"x14" 2011

The figure below is from the same time period.

Standing figure, charcoal and pastel on Strathmore

Friday, January 4, 2013

The heart section

There’s a wonderful passage in Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (perhaps autobiographical) that describes an encounter between the young librarian, Neil Klugman with a young boy who tiptoes up to him and asks to see the heart section:

“Hey, he said, where’s the heart section – a perplexed Neil, confused by the “ thickest sort of southern negro dialect” asks him how to spell it.

The kid repeats – “The heart section. Ain’t you got no heart section? Heart. Man, pictures. Drawing books. Where you got them?

Then Neil understands that he means ‘Art’ and directs him to the appropriate section of the stacks.

On reading this an association between heart, artist and library has clicked in my mind, totally pre digital.
Interestingly, Roth dedicated this novel to his parents with an inscription - The heart is half a prophet - Yiddish proverb.

I hope that libraries will take it easy in 2013 and slow down in selling off - (decimating) their invaluable pre digital collections. I recently discovered that a reference book by Kurt Wehlte, The Materials and Techniques of Painting, student of Max Doerner is no longer available on the shelf at our public library. In which case I just ordered a used library copy, not cheap, from alibris. How funny is that?!

But then the internet itself has become like a vast library and contact with other bloggers continues to be extremely inspiring and nurturing!

Some recent drawings from December 2012 and older:

Marcia LaBelle