conte crayon on Canson drawing paper
Last week’s figure drawing. This woman was by far the oldest model I’ve ever drawn. Possibly a shade over four and a half feet, a wispy voice, drawing near seventy years old if not beyond it. And the most regal bearing in her poses that I have ever seen. I didn’t do that bearing justice, but I sure tried. Maybe if I’d had a couple more hours.
I always speculate about the stories of the people I’m drawing. This woman was ripe material for speculation. What brought her to this class? Has she always been a studio model? How does one become so comfortable in ones skin to model like this well into the senior years? Do you have to be born with that bearing to carry it off?
I have something of a fascination with older women who carry off the aging thing well. There is a strong streak of longevity in my family and I figure much of what I do today affects the quality of my life then. So I kind of want to corner this woman and ask her to teach me the secret to her ‘take me as I am and oh by the way I’m pretty awesome’ attitude. It could come in handy way before my seventies.
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