Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Artist Groups

I have joined 2 different local Artists Groups.  It is a wonderful opportunity to gather information and a wonderful social experience with like minded individuals.
The 2 that I joined are the Willowdale Group of Artists and the Markham Group of Artists.  Both have been around for a long time and are very well organized. I have already attended some free workshops as well as some with a very nominal fee.

I was struck by the preponderance of gray haired individuals and I thougth how sad it is that most artists must wait a life time to allow themselves to pursue their interest.  My next thought was that I really wished that I had known such groups existed when I graduated University.   Since I was not an Art Major, I really didn't know any other artists and had no one to go sketching with or to exchange ideas with.  I am not one of those "solitary" artist types.   Even in my high school art classes, it was never mentioned that these groups exist.  Had I known, I would not have wasted all the intervening years. 

At a recent meeting, there was a model and an instructor for life drawing.  This was free, included in the modest membership fee.  Life drawing is my "thing" but I hadn't attended a life drawing class in 10 years.  You know what they say "use it or lose it" and it is so with drawing as well.  It took a bit but it came back to me.  This was supposed to be a sustained 2 hour pose but the instructor failed to tape off the position of fabrics, appendages etc and after each break, the postions did not match.   I really only had about half an hour on this version of the pose. I tried to pick it up again in the next half hour but her leg had changed, her hand and thumb had changed and I had not yet completed those.  I made a half hearted effort to incorporate the changes and then decided it would ruin the drawing and instead spent the last bit on her lovely face.

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