By Jan Weiss
I chose to draw friends hugging or simply being with each other where it is intimate - not romantic...but intimate still. The image with two women was based on the grief I was (and still am) going through when my closest friend of 46 died suddenly. Her loss left a huge hole in my life. The loss of friendship is not talked about enough. For me...I believe that continuing to focus on the human figure in all its beautiful forms is a vital way to celebrate the arts. Because without the human interaction in the arts and the contributions we make in the arts then our world would be flat and colorless.
What was the inspiration for your creative work?
I began a series of graphite and color pencil figurative works to express my grief over losing my closest friend of 46 years. She died suddenly and I was absolutely unprepared. I didn't know who to turn to so I chose to draw friends together. These drawings are intimate. But not romantic. Friendship is intimate when there is trust and love. Maybe someone else seeing these works will recognize something in themselves.
