Mike Shaffer
Figure Drawings
Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy, 2015
Man With Mug, Graphite and charcoal on paper,
12.0 x 8.5 inches, 2004
Leading the pack of drawing enthusiasts in the 1950s was Willem de Kooning. In the 1980s Jean-Michael Basquiat drew child-like images from his imagination into hundreds of works generally now called paintings. Shown here are a few of the 300 or so
drawings started in the year 2000 all by way of direct observation. I prefer to veer into areas associated with exaggeration, abstraction, oversimplification and other non-traditional styles to create works that are sketchy, casual, rough and that avoid all but scant backgrounds.
Dr. Fred, Graphite on paper,
10.0 x 7.0. inches on paper, 2011
Martin, Graphite on paper,
16.5 x 14.0 inches, 2007
John, Wax crayon on brown paper,
14.0 x 11.0 inches, 2011
Ronna, Wax crayon, ink and pastel on paper,
12.0 x 9.0. inches, 2009
Owen, Graphite on paper,
16.5 x 14.0 inches, 2007
Dorothy, Graphite on paper,
12.0 x 18.5 inches, 2008
The figure drawings are the subject of a 122-page book published by Pretell Publishing in 2019 called
"Mike Shaffer Millennial Drawings." An introduction discusses my take on the subject of drawing
in general and looks at drawing in the digital age. It is available from Amazon at the link below.
Bobby, Wax crayon on paper,
13.5 x 11.0 inches, 2006
Marlene, Digital image from graphite on paper, Size variable, 2008 - 2018
Maggie, Conté crayon on paper,
12.0 x 18.5 inches, 2008
Harley, Graphite on paper,
10.0 x 6.5 inches, 2010
Marco, Digital image, Size variable,
2018
Louise, Digital image, Size variable, 2018