Graft in the Summer

Mr Heatherley 2

This summer has been about hard graft on my Mr Heatherley project, see the earlier note.  In the drawing phase I have refined the composition somewhat.

FIrst, to improve the holding of the space that the group occupies by including the edge of a rug in the foreground.  This increases the juxtaposition between the linear and organic forms, improves the overall balance and creates a series of steps from the front of the image to the back.  Of which the rug is the first in the foreground.

Second, I have reworked the poses a bit.  I want to create a strong sense of the three being firmly ‘together’  but also that they are each in their own world, thus creating some ambiguity and complexity in their relationship.  This is a proper reflection of the relationships that they actually have and the tensions that are inherent in stepmotherhood.

This phase of the process was to create a drawing focusing on the planes of the forms of both the composition overall, as well as for the head and shoulders of each of the 3 individuals.  I use this style of drawing to form the base of the painted image.