Dimensions: paper and image 11 inches high by about 14 inches wide
Under a splendid, colorful sky full of blossoming clouds, a fit, muscular woman stretches unashamedly on a sea-side rock. In the warm light of a low sun, her healthy flesh has a smooth glow, contrasted by the rough, choppy sea all around her. She poses openly and unself-consciously, content with herself and with her unique, strong, beautiful body.
Still, the drawing is mysterious. The woman's face is enigmatic. Is she daydreaming? Full of wild, warring emotions? Or looking confidently into the infinite sky, determined to be open to all the wonderful possibilities of life? The low-angle light warming her could be the dawn of a new day, with all its potential, as easily as the disappearing light of sunset. Is she feeling isolation or a welcome solitude? Is the surrounding high water about to overwhelm her isolated, barely adequate perch, or is her tiny island giving her a rare and cherished moment of honest solitude and sanctuary from a threatening world?
Within the composition, warmer colors prevalent in the figure's skin and in the clouds alternate with the cooler colors in the water and in the upper sky, making all the colors seem the richer for the contrast and giving the scene exciting depth and energy.
The figure in the drawing is based almost completely on the figure in a lovely photo by the brilliant UK photographer Laurie Jeffery, whose astonishing figure photos may be found at nudeillusion.com, and it is used with Laurie Jeffery's very kind and gracious permission.
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