FIGURE/MOTION

Tai Chi with Tophat

Tai Chi With Top Hat

My work with the figure has been more diagramatic, connecting parts with the mechanics of motion and a bit of dance mixed in.

1988 (Sold)

Reflection

Nude

Red Dance

Newskowin Firehouse

St. John's Mural

Street Thief

Street Thief, Purple

Torso from Trio

Trio

Bjorn

On the Avenue

Torso

Patterns

Green Dance

Trio

Creature 1975

Figure/Motion

My figurative work evolved from my work in animation. Having broken down the action of movement into its parts to create movement in subsequent single frames, I tended to see the figure as dynamics that I could express through a relationship of lines.

After work on stop frame animation in clay with James Robbins “Bob” Gardiner, I decided I would try to express motion simply with color and line. I found that the curve of a line and the juxtaposing of curves was a simple language to communicate actions, sequence, bodies in motion. So I pursued the compositions and color that became the basis of my work for around ten years, from 1975-1985.

When I would participate in a figure drawing class, I would position straight and curved lines to summarize the relationships and dynamics of the figure rather that the contours and volumes of flesh. I enjoyed this rather mechanical method and later found fellowship as I discovered that the Russian Avant Garde of the early twentieth century excelled at similar forms of drawing. (see Liubov Popova)