Old and New

[Jean Kelly]

I've had two conte crayon portraits to do lately, one of an 87 year old woman, and one of a four month old baby. This has really been an experience in opposites, and I've enjoyed it tremendously.

Peg-87
Adrienne- 4 months

Jean

[John Crowther]

Absolutely stunning, and a masterful use of conte! And thsanks for posting them that way, as contrasts, what a charming and moving juxtaposition. -- John C.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Jean, these are both so full of character and so masterfully drawn. I like how you ended up blending the colors in the portrait of the older woman. The textures are wonderful: the soft skin of the baby, the wrinkled skin of the woman, the baby's hair, the woman's jacket. I agree it is striking to see them next to each other.

[Jean Kelly]

I have to confess, the majority of these drawings are conte, but I had to use a little nu-pastel to get the right color in the background for Adrienne and the green in her shirt.

Thank you John, moving from one to the other was a mind boggling experience. I found myself thinking of all the character in Peg's face due to her age, all the lines, the sagging eyelids, and everything that had happened in her life. But, she is still inquistive, energetic, and squeezing every last once of life every day. Then comes Adrienne, a blank slate so to speak, everthing is new, her experience isn't etched into her face yet. But like Peg, she is inquisitve, energetic, and loving every day.

Alex, I wanted both drawings to be very different in technique As you know, I took Peg's too far, but still tried to keep it pretty loose, showing a lot of the strokes. Adrienne was all about blending and softness. I know, babies are too cute, they all look the same, it's kitsch, and greeting card stuff. But, boy are they fun to draw! Thank you so much Alex!

Jean