Figure Study (quietude)

Figure Study (quietude); R Williamson; oil stick and acrylic on canvas; 20” wide x 28” tall x ¾ deep; 6/11

This figure study, done at a drop-in class in Seattle’s Gage Academy, is 10 years old. For all that time I’ve lived with it in my home. Some recent work has now supplanted it and I’m putting it in my Gallery page.

I brought scraps of lightly gessoed muslin to the class, some stapled to light boards and would paint as quickly as I could for the short poses. The rapid gestural approach, complete with pencil artifacts and anatomical liberties, can give pieces like this a fresh, immediate look.

The muslin subtly shows through in a few places, and the depth of the stretchers is shallow, at ¾”. Unframed size: 20” x 28” tall.

Figure Study (quietude); R Williamson; oil stick and acrylic on canvas; Edge detail shot with signature in pencil