I've been working on a finished drawing of the pose for the last two weeks. Here are a couple shots of the piece as it progresses. I'm working very slowly: this pose is so complicated and fascinating. I find I have to take my knowledge of anatomy to another level to grasp it. The articulation of the action depends on particular bundles of muscle fibers within a given muscle. For example the center of the middle section of the deltoid. I'm learning a lot, but it is going very slowly. I think I have reworked the left shoulder twenty times and I'm still not happy with it.

This is two days work. The one onthe bottom shows what I did yesterday. I had a difficult day that day: a lot of interruptions to my work and not enough time to paint. I got frustrated at the end of the day and just started throwing paint, working instinctively rather than thoughtfully. I was tempted to wipe out, but Tom thought it looked great so I kept it. Today I had plenty of time to paint and the light in the studio was good. I worked for hours modeling subtle flesh tones and articulating the amazing dynamics of the shoulder girdle. I was able to think in a calm and organized way about what I was doing and at the end of the day I thought I had done pretty well. But when I see what I did today next to what I did yesterday I feel that what I gained in drawing and subtlety I lost in movement and light. I realize that what I want for my work is to have it all: the freedom and passion of my irrational gut feelings and the elegant subtlety of my ordered and rational side. I swing from one approach to the other trying to find the perfect balance.

I love the action of the female figure: it looks like something from Greek sculpture. I wanted to do a more finished drawing , but I got impatient and jumped into the painting. Now that I'm working on the painting I wish I had spent more time drawing: the pose is so complicated and has so many subtle dynamics that I am spending an inordinate amount of time fiddling with the drawing.