Charcoal Drawings
Welcome to the Dov Art Gallery. I hope you enjoy perusing my work. If you see something that you would like to have, please go to the "Purchase Dov Art" page where you can purchase prints and some originals. In most cases you will have to email me for pricing on originals
Bears At Play
16" x 20" Charcoal on Paper -- This is one of a number of pieces I have done by starting my models in an initial position and telling them to go ahead and have a good time while I rapidly sketch them in the various positions they settle into, weaving the images into a kind of collage. Generally speaking the models and I come out of the experience utterly exhausted, but for very different reasons.
Confidence
12" x 21" Charcoal on Paper. This piece was inspired by the model's haircut. The model, a member of the law enforcement community, proudly wears his haircut to display his inner strength and confidence. In preparing this pose, we sought to have his entire body exude that same level of confidence. We see that both in his confident stare and in the relaxed manner his hand rests on his hip and his arm rests on the furniture as his body assumes almost classic contraposto.
Contemplating The Music
22" x 18" Charcoal on Paper Sometimes the title just tells you what was going on in my studio at the time.
Etude For The Betrayal
6" x 12" Charcoal on Paper -- My paintings fall into two categories: artist inspired and model inspired. The artist inspired pieces are those in which I have a plan for a painting and then I seek out a model who will fulfill that plan. I call that “staffing the painting.” In many of those, I do preliminary sketches either with or without the model to resolve issues such as positioning, angles, and composition. Actually, many of the artist inspired pieces use no models at all. The model inspired pieces are those in which a conversation with the model reveals something extraordinary about the model’s life which I wish to capture on the canvas or in the drawing. These are probably the larger category of my works, although I have never really sat down to count them.
Etude In Twisted Perspective #1
20" x 16" Charcoal on Paper I began sketching him at one end and had him turn slowly as I worked my way up. The technique, which I call “twisted perspective” has led to some interesting results.
Guarded But Curious
16" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – Like many of my models, curiosity is much of what it is about. However, that curiosity does not overcome a tendency to be self-protective and cautious. Everything this model had, he put into that latter attitude.
Head Waiters Repose
Laid Back
18" x 22" Charcoal on Paper This model who had years coming to terms with being bisexual, finally learned that he can relax being naked with another man.
Le Danseur Un Peu Age
14" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – This is the same model as for “Soul of the Dancer” and is a middle aged gentleman whose carriage and demeanor remain those of a young danseur.
Melancholy
18" x 24" Charcoal on Paper A sad young man posed for me one evening.
Not Enough Hours
Quizzical
16" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – A young man who was trying to figure it all out and not succeeding.
Reaching For The Brass Ring
12" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – This was actually a study for “Tears and Tears”
Reminiscences Of Rodin
24" x 18" Charcoal on paper One of the most thoughtful and amusing models I have had the privilege to work with, I told him to get comfortable and this was the position he assumed. The more we spoke, the more apparent it was that his outer pose reflected his inner being.
Serenity
13" x 15" Charcoal on Paper. This, more than any other current work of mine shows the amazing difference working with truly great models can make. Although one of my models for this was a novice, the other was a veteran of paintings I have done with him. And I heard the veteran reassuring and working with the novice so that the three of us were working together to produce this work. And the novice also proved himself thoughtful and considerate, periodically toweling down the veteran who was dripping in sweat as this work was being produced. The result was that the two of them worked to produce the very image of serenity I sought to capture. We see here an image of men in love, infinitely comfortable with each other. While I asked them to join hands, I discovered to my delight that they were also holding each other by their left feet. And in simple gestures they worked with me to produce my image of the ideal of gay love.
Birthday Celebration, The
The Chance Embrace
The Dawn Of Freedom
18" x 22" Charcoal on Paper This piece is studiedly acultural. One can see this piece as Native American, oriental Indian, Middle Eastern. I purposely omitted clues tying it to a specific culture as it was more important to me to depict the elemental pan-cultural urge to express a connection with the spiritual world as we are stripped and dancing in our most spiritual state, our nude state, without the trappings of a specific culture.
The Dockmans Interlude
The First Pipe After Work
The Young Old Friend
Bears At Play
16" x 20" Charcoal on Paper -- This is one of a number of pieces I have done by starting my models in an initial position and telling them to go ahead and have a good time while I rapidly sketch them in the various positions they settle into, weaving the images into a kind of collage. Generally speaking the models and I come out of the experience utterly exhausted, but for very different reasons.
Confidence
12" x 21" Charcoal on Paper. This piece was inspired by the model's haircut. The model, a member of the law enforcement community, proudly wears his haircut to display his inner strength and confidence. In preparing this pose, we sought to have his entire body exude that same level of confidence. We see that both in his confident stare and in the relaxed manner his hand rests on his hip and his arm rests on the furniture as his body assumes almost classic contraposto.
Contemplating The Music
22" x 18" Charcoal on Paper Sometimes the title just tells you what was going on in my studio at the time.
Etude For The Betrayal
6" x 12" Charcoal on Paper -- My paintings fall into two categories: artist inspired and model inspired. The artist inspired pieces are those in which I have a plan for a painting and then I seek out a model who will fulfill that plan. I call that “staffing the painting.” In many of those, I do preliminary sketches either with or without the model to resolve issues such as positioning, angles, and composition. Actually, many of the artist inspired pieces use no models at all. The model inspired pieces are those in which a conversation with the model reveals something extraordinary about the model’s life which I wish to capture on the canvas or in the drawing. These are probably the larger category of my works, although I have never really sat down to count them.
Etude In Twisted Perspective #1
20" x 16" Charcoal on Paper I began sketching him at one end and had him turn slowly as I worked my way up. The technique, which I call “twisted perspective” has led to some interesting results.
Guarded But Curious
16" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – Like many of my models, curiosity is much of what it is about. However, that curiosity does not overcome a tendency to be self-protective and cautious. Everything this model had, he put into that latter attitude.
Head Waiters Repose
Laid Back
18" x 22" Charcoal on Paper This model who had years coming to terms with being bisexual, finally learned that he can relax being naked with another man.
Le Danseur Un Peu Age
14" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – This is the same model as for “Soul of the Dancer” and is a middle aged gentleman whose carriage and demeanor remain those of a young danseur.
Melancholy
18" x 24" Charcoal on Paper A sad young man posed for me one evening.
Not Enough Hours
Quizzical
16" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – A young man who was trying to figure it all out and not succeeding.
Reaching For The Brass Ring
12" x 20" Charcoal on Paper – This was actually a study for “Tears and Tears”
Reminiscences Of Rodin
24" x 18" Charcoal on paper One of the most thoughtful and amusing models I have had the privilege to work with, I told him to get comfortable and this was the position he assumed. The more we spoke, the more apparent it was that his outer pose reflected his inner being.
Serenity
13" x 15" Charcoal on Paper. This, more than any other current work of mine shows the amazing difference working with truly great models can make. Although one of my models for this was a novice, the other was a veteran of paintings I have done with him. And I heard the veteran reassuring and working with the novice so that the three of us were working together to produce this work. And the novice also proved himself thoughtful and considerate, periodically toweling down the veteran who was dripping in sweat as this work was being produced. The result was that the two of them worked to produce the very image of serenity I sought to capture. We see here an image of men in love, infinitely comfortable with each other. While I asked them to join hands, I discovered to my delight that they were also holding each other by their left feet. And in simple gestures they worked with me to produce my image of the ideal of gay love.
Birthday Celebration, The
The Chance Embrace
The Dawn Of Freedom
18" x 22" Charcoal on Paper This piece is studiedly acultural. One can see this piece as Native American, oriental Indian, Middle Eastern. I purposely omitted clues tying it to a specific culture as it was more important to me to depict the elemental pan-cultural urge to express a connection with the spiritual world as we are stripped and dancing in our most spiritual state, our nude state, without the trappings of a specific culture.
The Dockmans Interlude
The First Pipe After Work
The Young Old Friend
