Draw a souvenir - EDM 78
19 07 2007
We went shopping in Nairobi at the tail end of our holiday in 2001 and came across this beautifully carved masai lady and her partner. They were unfinished and had just been delivered by the artist to the shop. Both needed to be sanded and polished but we liked them as they were. The pieces were made from one piece of wood, almost two feet tall and weighed over 10kgs each. We had to choose one. I chose her and still think about the man we had to leave behind. I havent managed to capture her beauty. Her maker is definitely a master craftsman.
Charcoal in my sketchbook - 8″ X 10″
I’m very impressed - you’ve drawn a sculpture but have managed to make it look as if you’ve drawn a living person - you really managed to breathe life into this.
Its an excellent drawing. She looks so thoughtful. I do find myself trying to get a better look at the eye in shadow. I can almost see it but not quite.
Beautiful! I have a small pair of similar carvings that a friend brought home from an extended spell in Africa. The carver was going to throw them away because they weren’t “just right” — I love them as they are! You captured this beautifully — great choice of subject for the challenge!
Sarah - Thank you very much. You’ve made me want to go back and finish it. Need to work on her earring.
Helen Anne - I know she’s looking a bit cockeyed
I shall fix that soon. Thank you.
Linda - Thank you. I loved all the wood work that I saw in Kenya and especially enjoyed shopping in the open bazaars. The Masai Lady is my favourite though.
When I first saw this, I thought you had drawn a portrait until I read your post. Drawing a sculpture and making it look oike a person is pretty impressive stuff.
[...] The art group will now meet on Thursdays and today was the first day in a long long time that it was held in my home. We all had a go at drawing a beautiful wooden sculpture of a Masai Lady. The unknown sculptor has done a fabulous job. Unfortunately I have not been able to capture how beautiful she is. You can see my earlier attempt here. [...]