Back to Life
HELEN MURPHY & NICK PELLING try out life drawing with your clothes on
Sometimes it is important to think about things a little differently. And that is exactly what the artist Theresa Caruana is doing regarding one of art’s most ancient practices, namely ‘life drawing.’ Most people think that life drawing is that peculiar thing where a bunch of scruffy students stare at a naked person and struggle to decide on the marks that capture the flesh. But Theresa has taken the view that ‘life’ should mean something more alive. Something with real ‘life’ to it, instead of a, static, dormant nude. With that in mind, she had the brilliant idea that artists would relish the challenge of trying to draw musicians as they play. What could be more full of life than a musician playing live? We took up this challenge and found the unique interaction of really looking at the musician, whilst hearing the improvised music, quite an intense experience. Almost spiritual. (A cynic might say that the uplift in mood has something to do with the fact that these sessions happen in the back room of the Horse and Groom pub – the pencil in one hand is accompanied by a glass in the other.) We prefer to think that one drink does wonders for blowing away artistic inhibition.
A School not a School
To take a step back: Theresa Caruana is the brains behind the St Leonards Art School. If you are not familiar with this gem of an institution, it is situated on Maze Hill with a scenic view of St Leonards Gardens. The school is not really a school in the traditional meaning of the word. What is on offer is more akin to open workshops that you may attend on a pay-as-you-go basis. You do not have to sign up for a horribly expensive year or term. In fact, the prices are quite affordable. You do not need to have achieved any particular level: total beginners and enthusiastic children are welcome. What can be guaranteed is that you will be given space and encouragement (and materials and tutoring if you want them). There are classes for both adults and children at different times across the week. (The ‘Life Drawing Music’ sessions are a kind of wonderful bonus.) Theresa says that her aim is to allow students to develop skills but also to improve their own critical eye. With only five students working together most of the time, the potential for dialogue between students is clearly likely to create the kind of environment in which artists learn from each other: arguably the best way to learn.
Sound and Vision
At the back of the pub we found ourselves drawing the brilliant and unique musician India Blue, as she played her traditional harp and, almost casually, treated us to her sonorous voice. The music really does help you get ‘in the zone’. India’s flickering fingers and delicate features were hard to capture, but the experience of hearing and listening intently at the same time is quite something. Whether your drawing is good or bad is in many ways irrelevant. What matters most is the struggle to capture something of the experience. The circular interaction of sound and vision does something profound. A pretentious person might say it re-wires the soul, or something. Not sure about that, but we will say that Theresa has found a wonderful way to put life back into drawing.
For more details of classes and Life Drawing Music, go to stleonardsartschool.com
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