Agnetha

Michael, an excellent pastel and an excellent anecdote!

Thanks Gudrun. I struggled to get the body tones right with this and the feet are poor, although she had a minor deformity in her left foot, which didn't seem to hamper her movements on the catwalk. Also, note how underarm body hair, etc. wasn't removed in the 60s. I find body tones challenging with pastel. I've sent off for a pile of eBay books on pastel and more on drawing. It's become an obsession, which I put down to a repressed early life.

You have obviously succumbed once again Mick!! A good study - from life? - not sure at all. Reminds me of a cousin who toured Sweden in the 60's looking for free love, and came back a few months later, quite disappointed!

The flesh is weak Adele.

Mick, I think it would have been worth a scorch or two...lol Joining the Navy after a life on the cat walk sounds like jumping from the pan into the flames anyway!! No matter what you say about the tones etc Mick, I like it, your figures always have a presence, maybe it's because you give them a life. I don't know but it works.

Thanks for your kind encouragement Fiona. Repression and control leads to rebellion, and I did eventually.

Me too! I had a similar 'catholic' education Mick.....very strict. I've been rebelling for years and it's too late to stop now, besides, I'm enjoying myself!lol Keep up the excellent figure work.

A shared experience Fiona, and perfectly true. I do over-egg the repression side only a little bit. But it has always acted on my consciousness and early on I felt there was nowhere I could go without being seen - a kind of social control, like the Panopticon prison system. Natural things of growing up became sinful. That is the sin actually - it was their sin. Looking again at surrealism has made me think how appropriate this form of art is for my early experiences. According to http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/s/surrealism#key the aim of surrealism is to reveal the unconscious and reconcile it with rational life. The surrealism of the body seems to be perfect for Agnetha and all my other girlfriends. My subconscious wishes I had got a little more 'scorched' like you said. Too late now, unfortunately.