blind contour portraits
i moved to paris for a few months in 2016 to improve my french. every evening, it seemed, there was another social event to go to-- a house party, a picnic by the water, a party at an abandoned high school, a trip to the countryside. while wonderful, this was quite a culture shock for me, as i was so accustomed to the american notions of ambiguous plan-making and "taking alone time". my french was good, but not great, so i found myself searching for more a comfortable means of communicating and connecting with others.
"ouvre tes yeux, ferme ta bouche. regarde-mois" is what i'd say at the start of the ritual. for about two minutes, i'd stare into the face of a new friend, them staring back at me, sometimes sitting in silence or smiling or giggling awkwardly as I drew. over the course of those few months, i drew 75 portraits. my french improved over time and the ritual became less of an ice breaker and more of a record of my time there. below are a few of my favorites.
"ouvre tes yeux, ferme ta bouche. regarde-mois" is what i'd say at the start of the ritual. for about two minutes, i'd stare into the face of a new friend, them staring back at me, sometimes sitting in silence or smiling or giggling awkwardly as I drew. over the course of those few months, i drew 75 portraits. my french improved over time and the ritual became less of an ice breaker and more of a record of my time there. below are a few of my favorites.
