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Now look…

Looking


Albrecht Dürer – Laughing Peasant Woman: a lot of looking going on here.

As artists, one of our highest octane fuels is the simple act of looking. Looking engages the visual organs and engorges them with sweet wet creative fluids, fecund with ART.

The easiest way to sharpen the act of looking is to look at what delights us and then to DRAW. Recording what we see, either in a straightforward academic way or in a way that responds to feeling, context, shape, proportion, colour, value, texture, rhythm and so on, restructures our neurology; reinforcing our visual acuity in a divine loop.

It is not enough to just look, we must record, reflect and look more, record again and show and share. It’s what we do and the process marks us visual artists out as super-beings with hyper senses who must save the insensate world. We must show what we have seen, it is our gift and our duty.

If you fancy saving the world and doing some drawing with excellent models like Rebecca and Hannah why not join us this week on Monday or Tuesday? We use Zoom for these sessions, but the models are most definitely live with us in the studio.

On Monday Simon will be drawing badly to explore how creativity arises through observational drawing.

On Tuesday Freya will be being quirky and asking you to do surprising things with your pencil.
Join us to paint in our Covid Safe studio 

We’ve gone to great lengths to keep artists safe whilst working from a model in our studio. We take your temperature with infrared on entry, invite you to sanitise and escort you to your work station. Once at your easel you are separated from other artists by transparent PVC screens. You can remove your mask and get on with your work, being able to chat through the screens. When away from your workstation just observe normal social distancing etiquette.

At the moment you can come to Wednesday’s portrait group and Saturday’s life drawing and painting. If you want to come along to Monday and Tuesday evening life drawing in the studio, drop us an email and we’ll arrange it manually whilst our bookings system is being updated to reflect the changing reality.

Pleinairists (without!) David Sawyer RBA


David Sawyer – Venice, departing tourists

David will be running a workshop for us on Thursday mornings when he returns from France after half term. The focus will be painting architecture, something he does exquisitely well. When you look at how he handles complex urban landscapes you notice how un-laboured the images look, how fresh and light. Of course he’s massively talented but understanding how and where he makes his economies can inform our own work to good benefit.

If you’ve ever painted landscape and become frustrated at how to express buildings (that’ll be me!) or you get drawn into slavish description in a way that sucks the joy from your work, make a mark in your diary.

Whilst David is away painting in France the Pleinairists Whatsapp group are meeting up on an ad hoc basis, no charge, just painting companionship. Drop us an email to be included.

Monday Evening Bad Drawing Group 7.00pm-8.30pm on Zoom

Tonight’s session is with Hannah and will be hosted by Simon. Hannah is a dancer so we’ll ask her to go through some dance moves for us. Some poses will be dynamic some will be static so plenty of opportunity for happy accidents.

You can join us on Zoom from 6.45pm and get to know us and any other drawers before work commences at 7.00pm.

The cost is £8 but if you can convince us you’re a student we’ll give you a code to get the session for £5: drop us an email

Click here to book

Tuesday Evening Life Drawing 7.00pm-8.30pm on Zoom


Rebecca 

Freya will be hosting again this evening and getting us to try new ways of working. The model is dancer Rebecca who enjoys pushing the envelope.

You can join us on Zoom from 6.45pm and get to know us and any other drawers before work commences at 7.00pm.

The cost is £8 but if you can convince us you’re a student we’ll give you a code to get the session for £5: drop us an email

Click here to book

Wednesday Drop-in Portraiture 2.00pm-5.00pm on Zoom


Hugh

We have veteran model Hugh sitting for our portrait session this week and next. It’s always a pleasure working on a face that has a lived in feel.

This is a two camera setup with a portrait camera and a wide camera to get the figure in should you need it.

Please note that it is now possible to paint from life in the studio. Zoom fee is £15, in-studio fee varies.

Please book here

The session fee will be reduced to £12 if you use the discount code PESTE2 at final checkout.

Saturday Drop-in Long Pose Life Drawing 10.00am-1.00pm on Zoom


Rebecca

Rebecca is a dancer who has been giving us some very lively poses in our short pose groups. She will be taking up a longer pose, three hours to be precise, this Saturday. She still has a suntan from her Italian Summer so lots of golden tones. You can join us in the studio or have just as much fun without the fresh coffee on Zoom. We have two cameras, one close on head and shoulders, one wide. We also have a studio view so you can get a feel for what’s going on.

Please note that it is now possible to paint from life in the studio. Zoom fee is £15, in-studio fee varies.

Please book here

The Zoom session fee will be reduced to £12 if you use the discount code PESTE2 at final checkout.