The pheasant
The pheasant, watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 in (23.5 x 30 cm)
After a photo made in the Bronx Zoo, where the pheasants are allowed to roam freely on the grounds. I was fascinated by the colourful feathers and the relaxed gait of the animal. I made several sketches in pencil and watercolours, using liquid watercolours for the first time. I tried to preserve the brightness and brilliancy of the colours and not overmix.
View over Central Park from Belvedere Castle
Pencil sketch and watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 in (23.5 x 30 cm)
From a photo of a recent visit to Central Park, a view from Belvedere Castle over the turtle pond. The sheet is from a series of attempts to capture the essence of a landscape composition in small format by simplifying the shapes as much as possible.
Alligator
Pencil sketch on paper, 11 x 14 in (27.5 x 35 cm)
Sketch of a Mississippi Alligator, after a photo from the Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons). My starting point was the idea to sketch a Dinosaur skeleton. Researching images, I wondered how real Dinosaurs might have looked like in their times, and imagined them as huge reptiles. They were predators and may have looked a bit like alligators, and have been similarly dangerous. Researching alligators, I was fascinated by the leathery skin and the posture of the animal in the photo I chose as a source for my sketch.
A shed at Muscota Marsh, New York
Watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 in (23.5 x 30 cm)
Watercolour sketch after a photo I made on a trip to Muscota Marsh on a hazy autumn day. I wanted to bring out the red-brown autumn colours more vividly by contrasting them to the blue-greenish shed.
Marble head of a man
Black and white charcoal on paper, 8 ¼ x 12 in (21 x 30 cm)
The idea to draw after Greek and Roman statues was inspired by recent acquaintance with Charles Bargue’s classical drawing course. This drawing is the third attempt of drawing from photos of busts published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The aim was to model the form three-dimensionally by highlighting and darkening, using the gray paper as midtone.
Still life with book and glasses
Still life with book and glasses, pencil on paper, 16 x 20 in (40 x 50 cm)
A simple still life arrangement, the pencil sketch is a study towards a painting. It depicts the book I’m currently reading, a biography of Vincent van Gogh.