Morning Ritual

Do you know John Berger? He's my breakfast companion of late.

Photocopies is a collection of essays, or encounters as the cover suggests, that are part character sketch, part autobiography or self-portrait. The essays remind me of the quick, warm-up drawings we did at the beginning of every figure drawing class. The model would hold a pose of 15 seconds, change position and hold for 15 seconds, and on and on and on. With a stick of charcoal, in 15 seconds you can capture the shape of the pose and indicate where the strain of the body lies (except I was never very good at that bit). If I remember correctly, we would then move on to slightly longer poses. Time to sketch in the shape of the pose and add a bit of detail here and there, convey the essence of the pose. That's what each essay in Photocopies is like. A short description of an encounter with another individual, painted in broad stokes, and layered with exquisitely rendered details that capture the essence of the moment and the person encountered.