Exhibition April 2016

'Life as we see it' is an exhibition of paintings and drawings of the human figure by artists who attend life classes run by Angela Palmer in Brockweir in the Wye Valley. It is held in the Taurus Crafts Function Room from April 12th to 24th, with a preview by invitation on Saturday April 16th 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
Difficult to select appropriate pieces for this particular venue and 'cultural' location as much of my recent work tends towards the 'abstract' with some considered as touching the 'erotic'. So I have been somewhat conservative in the two I finally chose.
The first is from 'extreme poses' at Stroud from the 3 day double-model session last year when Robin and Natalie rested for a short pose in between the more challenging and longer 30 minute poses up in the ropes. I am particularly pleased with this drawing as I recall there was no hesitation on my part, I just went for it with a series of minimilist and confident lines. No hesitation because it was obvious what to do, it was obvious what the attraction was, it was obvious to me how I was warmly reacting to what I was beholding. For the exhibition I titled this 'Intimacy'. To some this drawing may be touching the erotic (I find this whole issue of what becomes erotic for some but simply art for others to be an unnecessary imposition me and on my journey as a student of drawing the human figure, particularly  as I have derived intellectual and artistic stimulation from the drawings of the female nude by such people as Rodin, Schiele, Bellmer, to name only three).
The other drawing is also from last year and is also a real favourite of mine. Again, as with Robin and Natalie, with Liv over the years there has developed a friendly and professional relationship between regular artists and these regular models. I have referred on several occasions in this blog to the significance and the importance of this special dialogue between artist and model, one outcome of which is that the artist moves beyond 'drawing the model as object' into a state of mind which allows the drawing to become an 'expression of feeling'. I recall also my initial thoughts at the start of this drawing which principally focussed on the issue of 'composition' and how I felt I wanted to anchor the drawing to the left side of the paper. For the exhibition I titled this 'The space beyond'.