My Brother Rick 22x16 charcoal

This is my brother Rick who was very kind to sit for me to practice portraiture. It is a nice feeling to study a face I have known for so long. I have watched the changes that map his life that he wears on his face. It was fun to study a face I thought I knew very well and find little things in the way his features are different then mine. I am the youngest of four. None of us look alike and I can say that I thought I was adopted when I was a kid. That was a fun fantasy, but I'm not, nor would I want to be. I like who we are, a family. We just are all parts of the parents we shared, but I swear we all got very different parts. Some kids share a likeness and some don't. We definitely are the later.

Drawing a face is a soulful experience for me, a real gift. In every angle, line, crease and shadow are many stories. A photo taken often hides truth and that is okay because often that is what we want. It is quick, a flash and all the work and practice to take a nice photo is over in, well , a flash. It is different when you sit for a portrait drawing or painting. A twenty minute sitting can take you away with many thoughts that take you far far away from the idea of a pretty picture.

I sat for a drawing session last week and felt everything about me settle and relax so that my mind could travel away. I was surprised to see what others drew. They saw the things I often hide. Not able to hold my chin up and jaw forward exposed time or the passing of time. My life seen through someone else's eyes. I love the process. I feel I must make a connection from my eyes, to my muscles in my hand, to the one that is sitting there so exposed.

So thanks Rick.