Aging...

I haven't been modeling as much this semester compared to the last couple of years, but I do have not one but two figure sessions coming up this weekend.  I did a costumed painting session a couple of weeks ago in my vintage base ball uniform.  This watercolor was painted that night by a lady named Judy...

Speaking of vintage base ball, I played in my second game on October 20th, and my quads are still sore from sprinting around the bases.  I love playing though, and I give it everything I've got when I'm out there.  But this 46-year-old body just isn't what it used to be.

A friend of mine recently posted a photograph of me with my shirt off and muscles flexed, taken in the summer of 1986.  At the time, I had only been modeling for art classes for less than two years.  I've often reflected on those early days of modeling.  My perception of myself back then was that I was so skinny that the art students must have only had skin and bones to draw.  When I saw this old picture, I was surprised by how good I looked.  I had much more muscle definition than I remember having.  And I'm really jealous of the size of my waistline then as compared to now...

I do remember modeling for a drawing class at Texas Wesleyan University back around the time this photo was taken, and a young lady in the class asked me if I lifted weights.  At the time, I thought she was kidding; that skinny-kid self-image I had was too ingrained for me to take her question seriously.  Now that I look at this photo of myself, more than a quarter of a century later, I can really envy the body I had back then.  I only wish I could see some of the artwork done of me at the time...