An Intro to the next post: 'Latest 3-dayer'

I've always claimed that any drawing will hold a record of the making of that drawing. In other words, visible marks are not only a trace of the activity of producing the mark but also an indexical sign of the activity of producing the mark. So, again, I am placing an emphasis on what is perhaps my main pre-occupation when engaging with life-drawing - 'the process'. 

Within my thinking about process I am currently considering the question: 'Can perception work without memory being involved?' Is it possible to not draw upon one's past activities and experiences that are held within one's memory bank? If, as I also claim, that when life-drawing I often enter a deep meditative state, then I presumably have no control of how my mind is working and from where it is getting its inspiration beyond that which is presented in front of the eyes.

In my next posting I describe the change which took place over the three days as I moved from my comfort zone into a novel situation by producing drawings which are unexpected, unanticipated and have something new about them. The new, or even the sudden insight is perhaps the only kind of thought that's not based on memory.

I have also been giving some thought to the issue of whatever does appear on the paper cannot convey the entire story. What it does do is very selective. It becomes a record of a very personal set of perceptions of a pose, at a particular moment, and influenced by any of a set of variables, i.e. the model/artist relationship, the studio ambiance, the state of the artist's journey to the venue, any goals set by me for the session ahead, etc. etc.

I do enjoy the three day sessions over at Niel Bally's studio in Talgarth, Powys, just one hours drive from my home. I meet up with my life-drawing friend and colleague, Clarissa, in Abergavenny and we share the driving from there. Then after the three days I arrive home, fulfilled, satisfied, not exhausted but in a floating state of well-being. I usually open a bottle (Puglian Primitivo, is my obsession at the moment), put my feet up, put the telly on and catch up on my football team's exploits or, this time, Wales in the Six Nations (I make sure I have recorded all relevant matches).

I often make a few notes in my A5 note/sketch book (which is always with me)  to record my thoughts and events.

And so to complete this Intro here are three entries from my sketch/note book. Perhaps 5 minutes each done at different times over the 3 days, at the end of a drawing when I have time to fill, or perhaps to get an idea of what I am looking at.