Adjustments - and, to a certain extent, the entire Figurines series - grew out of a single snapshot  that I took during a South Florida vacation with friend Jim Forni in February of 1987.  Jim, clad in typical beachwear (straw hat, blousy shirt, camera and sunglasses) seemed to be wielding his camera like a weapon.  His multiple equipment straps were dangling in the wind. Think of a horse’s reins. Forni looked “strapped in.” 

 

I was secretly delighted that the Figurines could be produced much more quickly than my previous drawings.  I think I even started to work faster, blending less, intentionally making the edges of shading harder.  A certain harsh ugliness crept into the results.  “If you pose for me, you will wind up looking ugly,” is what I was saying at the time. And “Adjustments” is probably the best example.  I certainly remember Jim being less than thrilled.  The straw hat was something I felt proud of at the time.  I had finally found some ways to get a handle on this kind of chaotic looking object. The chest hair was a somewhat less successful attempt at the same thing.