Portrait Sketches

IT BEGAN IN PARIS, ONCE AGAIN. SPRING 2020: The lockdown presented an unexpected opportunity for a concentrated period of drawing and painting. Fortunately, my artistic training included a foundational two years of anatomy and life drawing with subsequent studies at the Art Students League and Ateliers such as Grand Central and Florence Academy US. Struggling with the uncertainties initially, I discovered “par hazard” Académie de la Grande Chaumière had begun offering its legendary figure drawing sessions on Zoom. My world took a major leap outside its confines and I was back in the north-light Montmartre studio two days a week avec les modèles vivants.

IN SPRING 2020, I joined another Zoom portrait group featuring many of the NYC-based art models who were suddenly out of work. By the FALL of 2020, I assumed leadership and added a second weekly session as it proved to be a popular format. Portrait Model Zoom continues to this day with an international roster of professional models and dedicated artists, who continue to work in the “life drawing” tradition of the ateliers.