Marble Statues and People Watching Sketches

Santa Croce Statue, copyright Jessica Libor 2009

This is a lovely carving that captured my imagination at the Santa Croce church in Florence.  It was located in an outside portico area, over a sarcophagus.  I didn’t get nearly as finished as I would like, because a thunderstorm erupted over the sky and the church decided to kick everyone out.  Nevertheless, I am sharing it with you in its unfinished state.

I thought I would share these rough sketches, made in front of the Uffizi Museum.  A friend and I went there to sketch the graceful and monumental statues, but after an hour or so of drawing the statues I was distracted by all the fascinating people crowding the piazza–tourists and locals.  Here are a few of the sketches I was able to do of them.  It is difficult and challenging, drawing in a crowd, because unlike statues people move often.  It becomes a game to capture their gestures.  

Florence people watching sketch 1, copyright Jessica Libor 2009

Florence people watching sketch 2, copyright Jessica Libor 2009