Godwin Bradbeer, 2019, charcoal and white pastel, 41 x 31.75 cm
Drawing Godwin was a challenge. He would suddenly turn towards me for awhile as we conversed or he would get out of his chair and show me something on the computer or get a book from his library. But I decided to go along with this rather than ask him to remain still because I was reading about the Italian Renaissance artist, Bernini, and how he would encourage his sitter to talk and move around the studio. After reading this I couldn't imagine how you could capture a person under these circumstances but after allowing myself to experience these same conditions, I don't think I could have made a better drawing if Godwin sat still.
Cezanne demanded of his sitters that they remain as still as an apple but people are not objects and it perhaps makes for a better or livelier portrait if some kind of animation from the sitter occurs.
Godwin uses a lot of black in his work and as I thought about the portrait session I felt that drawing him in silhouette would create a type of darkness that would connect to his work.
