5th entry for June 12, 2009

This standing pose of 10 minutes and the 20-minute reclining pose finished off the Friday evening.

4th entry for June 12, 2009

These were two 15-minute poses.

3rd Entry for June 12, 2009

These were 10-minute poses. C- can really twist herself, and on one of her poses, the best thing seemed to be to focus in on her interlaced limbs.

2nd Entry for June 12, 2009

These were all in the 10-minute range.

1st entry for June 12th, 2009

On Friday, C- was working at the TSA. In her short poses - these were 5 minutes each - she puts a lot of twisting and bending into her poses. The uppermost study was brief, and very loose, but I feel it conveys a good sense of the sinuous character of the pose.

Entry for June 11, 2009

On Thursday I was at the TSA attending a small exhibit at the school's "Launch Projects" gallery, where I had a work on display. Afterwards, I went up to join the last part of the Thursday drawing session. D- was working, which was nice to see.
These are one 10-minute pose and two 15-minute sitting poses.

Entry for June 9, 2009

As well as the Circus Jams in Kensington, Tuesday nights alternate with a drumming circle in Trinity-Bellwoods park. Z- and I went there for the first time last Tuesday.
It was a fascinating scene. Vibrant polyrythmic drumming by a constantly shifting group of drummers. People coming and going - it was a tribal gathering of musicians and all sorts of alternative groups - Burning Man fans, hippie kids, goth kids, hipsters, circus folk, you name it. All swaying to a sinuous ever-shifting beat.

I can say this - drummers stay put better than hoopers and fire spinners. They do walk about a bit, but were congregating and so tended not to move too much. It makes sense- as a performer doing things with a hoop or swinging poi, etc- it would be dull to see someone planted in one place. Their choreography is part of their art, the art of being a visual spetacle. Musicians in this sort of setting are first and foremost about the sonic experience.

I found I was getting more relaxed, too, about setting down fast, loose stream-of-consciousness sketches. These ballpoint pen drawings all came from there, and are done on an 8 1/2 x 11 pad of drawing paper with a medium-point black ballpoint pen.

We didn't stay a long time, but it is a place I can see returning to.