Branka Uzur

http://www.mediascape.info/seiten/2008/BrankaUzur/index.html

Lecture "Painted Life"

Exhibited "Quick pencil drawings" (see below)

"My drawing book “lives” in my hand bag that way I am able to draw portraits of people I meet, wherever I go and whenever situation permits.
Sitters vary; they could be friends, family, neighbours, shop assistants, doctors/dentist I go to, occasional passersby... people I see often or strangers I meet for the first time. I ask them to pose for a (quick) portrait and explain the procedure that takes 2-4 minutes. People quite willingly give a few minutes of their time for a “picture”.
While the person sits in a” non smiling passport photo” pose I concentrate on drawing the portrait with a few flawy pencil lines. In this act, both, model and the artist isolate themselves from the crowd, or any other given situation exposed to each other, with no desire to direct or manipulate they create a few moments of equilibrium.
In last 7 years I gathered about ten books of portraits. Some faces keep reappearing, at different times and in different states with noticeable changes on them.
I keep those drawing books as my diaries. Portraits have dates; time and name of the place where there were done.
Sometimes I make two portraits of the same person and give them one and keep the other, or I give the sitter the only drawing I make...as a gift. " Branca Uzur