Since I have been back in central Texas, I have been trying to attend at least one of the many life drawing sessions in Austin. The Austin Full Monty session is held each Sunday evening, hosted by artist Leslie Pierce and sponsored by AVAA (Austin Visual Arts Association). As you can probably guess, Leslie hires only male models.
Earlier in the day, there is a session that previously offered life drawing with alternating male and female models, but for the last several years, those hosts have drifted towards only the female model. So, as it turns out, if I can tear myself away from my studio on Sundays, I can be sure to draw a model from each sex.
The Austin Full Monty starts off with about ten 1-minute gesture poses. These brief, usually more dynamic poses help the artist to loosen up and shift the mind to the spatially thinking right side of the brain. They also give us artists the opportunity to try to record action. Instead of focusing on detail, we try to capture the essence of a gesture.
The following are not the best images I have ever taken of my art and I tried to increase the contrast to help you see the pencil or charcoal marks on the paper.
Sometimes I see a gesture that I would like to turn into a more formal work of art. One of my better known works is “Ten”. This bronze bas-relief sculpture was inspired by a one-minute gesture sketch that I had done eight years before and just could not forget. Click on the sculpture’s name if you would like to see this sketch.
After the quick gestures, we move into several 15-minute poses and then try for two 30-minute poses.
Sometimes I try to create a perfect gesture with flow lines and an energy that moves me. Other times I simply focus on one body part, such as the foot. In the last image of the torso with the stretched out arms, I was most attracted to the triangles and the light and dark shapes within.
Even if I never use these images to create a painting or sculpture, I still could not imagine NOT drawing from life.
Check out the Austin Full Monty Life Drawing Sessions.
5 comments:
Shucks, my comment didn't delete all the way. Wanted to say this work and your sketches are excellent, Kelly. And, to thank you for the reminder of the sessions.
Hi Jo. Oh, my those night shots of my sketches are really horrible! wonder if I have time to replace.
come draw with me sometime . . .
It's very cool that a gesture pose made such an impression that it inspired a finished work eight years later.
Hi Andrew,
I sure like your take on it better than my worry that I was just too wrapped up in my own self . . .
Thanks! You models are often true inspirations.
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