Rejuvenated
Drawings by Bethany Marie
In spring of 2008, I faced my first nude model for a drawing course that I was enrolled in. I was very nervous, and scared...especially when I found out that our model was 65+ years old. Wouldn't he think it was weird that we were all staring at his frail and wrinkly body? Once I began, however, I felt a great energy. I tried to pull that energy, and the hidden energy in our elderly model to show the rejuvenation that he desperately needed. The experience was very rejuvenating for me. It inspired me and through trying not to look at him a ton, I worked very quickly and gesturally on numerous drawings throughout the day and ended up staying late in to the night, still filled with energy. The colors that I used and the marks that I made intentionally reflect the nervous energy that I felt, and, as I stated before, the hidden energy wrapped up in such a frail body.