Drawings of socially distant friends in the time of COVID-19
Along with so many other things, in March of 2020 my weekly life-drawing sessions were shut down until a safer time. I have sorely missed both the learning opportunities and the camaraderie that went hand-in-hand with drawing regularly from a live model in a group setting.
In an effort to make the best of a bad situation, I asked friends to email me a selfie that I could draw from to keep up my practice. Making an image of someone I know and care about has become a wonderful strategy for exploring new ways of capturing a likeness, as well as for getting around being socially distant. This project has brought me much joy; it has been a gift and a relief to spend an hour or two closely studying familiar and missed faces — even if only virtually.
The best part is that, perhaps without realizing it, every selfie I’ve received is a window into these special people, revealing a great deal about what is important to each of them. I’ve tried to maintain that spirit in each drawing.
All rights reserved ©Elizabeth Fram