IN HIS IMAGE By Dorothy-Jean (Dody) Christian Chapman Twelve of us filed through the heavy 19th century wooden doors

in varying states of mind and body. The steps to the solarium studio proved hard on classic vintage knees, and merely an oiling to youthful joints. Yet we worked together nightly from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM or longer, savoring the northern light that we valued so highly as it poured in through the glass ceiling. Our illustrious teacher, Dr. Archer, greeted each of us with some humorous memory from recent meetings as we found our lockers along the far wall. Some of us relieved our bags, satchels, or boxes of art supplies recently purchased; others began the task of choosing clean chamois cloths, charcoal sticks, and newsprint. One by one, we collected our favorite easels stored under the rafters, dragging these medieval oak structures toward a low platform placed strategically to utilize the sky light. And, as in a choir, we twelve artists adjusted easels along our own pre-taped lines in a large semi-circle around the platform. Each of us assumed a favorite spot in this arrangement based on hand dominance, light on our paper, and previous perspective to our subject. Dr. Archer reminded us, as he had ad nauseum, to accustom our eyes to the negative and positive areas on and around the subject who just happened to be stepping onto the platform to assume his previous evenings position. We listened with that proverbial one ear awaiting Dr. Archers guidance regarding bone prominences and muscle attachments which would further our accuracy in depicting our young male subjects body. Dr. Archer had spent months with us demonstrating the comparative anatomy and physiology of various subjects bodies while we sketched, took notes, and marveled at the beauty in the human form. Dr. Archer would hold a specific appendage of each subjects body, such as the elbow, and move it to show full range of motion, how the muscles changed in size and length upon that movement, as well as how the elbow would appear if our perspective was the foreshortening effect. Dr. Archer cradled each subject in these demonstrations; his respect and love of the human body became clear to us and strengthened our own growing understanding, love, and respect. Then Dr. Archer drilled and grilled us with anatomical names to enable our communication during these nightly gatherings. In addition, he required quick sketches with labels to show him our level of accuracy. If we faltered, he guided by correcting our own drawing, or spelling out the anatomical word in question. Our young male subject, the subject of three days work in one minute, five minute, and half hour sketches placed himself in a comfortable action position. We would be producing two drawings of our subject over the next two days: the first would be on newsprint, checked by Dr. Archer for accuracy, and the second would be on charcoal/pastel paper. We began the task with Dr. Archers words of encouragement as he wended his way about the room, his voice constant, clarifying, and outweighing the sounds of the traffic outside the building. The action position of our subject barely moved. He, too, appeared to respect the body, either for the bodys own sake or for the remuneration. The group work took on the look of a tableau. We on the outside used deft hand movements at our easels with our action subject suspended in comfortable

animation. All of us held these positions each night for minutes to half hours. The drone of Dr. Archer became a mantra or similar to a chant with familiar words heard frequently. We repeated these words in our heads and applied the concepts to our facsimiles, thus enhancing our drawings of our young subjects body. The illumination of the subject with north light played upon the young mans muscle definition and prominence relationships. Our God-given minds and bodies worked as one to appreciate this young mans God-given body. The room took on a quietude where time stood and perfect light prevailed. The I existed no longer within the group as we became one in our work and the universe. Words did not justify the communion. Time had no boundary until Dr. Archer called for a break. The aura continued, though, as we slowly pulled away from our easels and began to talk among ourselves, including our young subject, changing the look of our tableau. Back to the I within our group, I longed for the break to end to find the muscle groups in the young mans body that I needed to check for accuracy. I also longed for the one that brought us Godness in our quest for knowledge and understanding of our likeness.