3rd entry for May 4, 2010

These were 2-minute poses. As K- was explaining, part of the process of being on stilts is staying in motion - like a bicycle, once a direction is established, one moves with that.
Keeping still is the toughest: it would be like balancing upright on an unmoving bicycle. The altered centre of gravity adds to the challenge of finding balance on two pads smaller than a foot, and where added height magnifies any imbalances. So these poses entail him finding some third point of support.

4th entry for February 12, 2009

These were 3-minute poses that A- took. We were complimenting her on her poses, and she remarked that she was trying to be conscious of having body parts at differing levels.

5th Entry for January 29, 2009

The latter part of the session was done on a trapeze. These were 5-minute poses. The pose where A- had her arms outsretched was one I would have liked to have had more time on (among so many others..) as it offered a really good opportunity to set down back muscles in action.

3rd Entry for January 29, 2009

These were all 2- and 3-minute poses that A- took. with that length of time it is possible to add a little bit of explanatory shading, and more detail about the straps she was using to stay aloft.

In the last pose in this set of studies,there is a second silk strap that her arm is resting on, running under her shoulders. I neglected to add the line in the study while setting it down. Not having it there makes the pose look even more like a balancing act on a swing, and underscores what a role the points of support - above or below - play in conveying how someone maintains whatever position they are in.

1st entry for January 29, 2009

On Thursday evening, I went back to Diane"s "Drawing Room" studio, where A- was working. THese were some of the 1-minute poses she did using 2 parallel sets of silk straps.

6th Entry for December 18, 2008

These were 5-minute poses. Where some of the other performers who have worked at Diane's studio spent more time completely off the ground, A- made good use of interaction with the floor as a part of her poses.

With the relative luxury of 5 minutes to draw, there is more time for shading & anatomical specifics. In my mind, though, the movement and spontaneity of a fast gesture pose underlies the longer drawing, in an intuitive way. I believe gesture studies, among other
things, instill a `muscle memory' of the proportions of body parts to one another, and how they move & bend.

1st entry for December 14th

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Having weathered the TSA's Open House, once again I got to go drawing. On Sunday, B- was working. He has pushed himself to develop really impressive stamina, being able now to sustain things like on-handed handstands, etc.

These are 1-minute poses. Watching a person doing things this remarkable, I really want to document what was transpiring, to say to others "this is what I was seeing" through the sketches. In the process, it is excellent drawing practice.

1st Entry for November 27

At Diane's Drawing Room Studio, K- was working, doing an evening of poses on stilts. Stilts depend to some degree on having some movement to stabilize balance. To keep in place, some 3rd point of support was necessary most of the time. These 1-and 2-minute poses made use of long poles and the room's trapeze.