If I worked for Clinton’s Cards I might wish you all a Happy Nude Year. Fortunately for Clinton’s and me, that is not the case, although the sentiment is sincerely felt. I genuinely hope that we all have a year to come where we get to go where we choose and do what we will, without the shadow of doom hanging over us and Big Brother watching. Where we get to see each other’s faces and have zero curiosity about each other’s medical status, safe in the knowledge that a hug can only transmit the warmth of friendship rather than the heat of an infectious fever.
We can dream.
Back to the nudes… and you’ll know that we believe life drawing to be a truly life enhancing activity, not just for artists who use it as part of their practice but for anyone with a visual bone in their body.
Drawing, by itself, connects us with the quiet reflective side of our nature, a perfect counterpoint to the excitement of city life. Balance is good, not just for our mental health but by extension our physical health too.
Observational drawing is demanding and also profoundly engaging, using mental muscles that once summoned for use, become available in other dimensions of our lives. Observational drawing and painting of an undraped model in a studio, filled with other artists, connects us with the pulse of our creativity and our very humanity. People leave our studio with smiles on their faces and work tucked under their arm that they are proud of.
If you find yourself wondering what you could do this year that would usefully add value to your life, reaffirming your creativity by regularly drawing and painting might be a good place to start.
Last week we put up our prospectus for tutored groups, if you missed it you can see it here. We have plenty of opportunities to develop your skills with our fantastic tutors, all working artists happy to share their insights.
This week our term starts again and you can come and paint with us most days of the week, just book online and we’ll see you there, either in the flesh in our studio or on Zoom.
