Debra Youthed is a creative content writer. Contact her at Write Me.

Sitting with nine other people drawing a nude woman standing in the middle of the room isn’t something I’ve done before, but I plan on making a habit of it.

Last weekend was the start of the life drawing sessions series at the Hastings City Gallery inspired by their current Jan Nigros exhibition ‘Out Of The Bedroom And Into The Lounge’. Elham Salari, Public Engagement Specialist for the Hastings District Council has organised the three sessions as a community initiative to give the public the opportunity to have a go at this classical art form. Jan Nigros would have approved – she was a life-long champion of the nude in art as a way of understanding the universal experience of inhabiting the human body.

By Robyn Watt

These free events are open to anyone who wants to try their hand at life drawing regardless of experience or ability. Which is just as well as I had only picked up my art materials the day before then watched a couple of YouTube videos explaining what I had bought. So, it was no surprise that I was the least experienced attendee but that’s not a bad thing – no experience equals no pressure. My table mate had also never done life drawing before but she had at least had some drawing lessons. We were part of a group of ten enthusiasts including professional artists, students, hobbyists and even my table mate’s art teacher!

The session started with our facilitator from the gallery, Leanne Morrison, running through the health and safety rules and, most importantly, pointing out where to find the complimentary refreshments and the toilets. We began with our model posing in different positions for two minutes each as a warm-up for her and us. This gave me the chance to try out my drawing gear without the expectation of a finished piece of art. The sessions are untutored so we were free to experiment without following a prescribed style, but it also meant I was totally winging it when it came to technique. It was perplexing not having any idea how to translate what my eyes could see into something that did our lovely model justice. But it also freed up my creativity – I didn’t have to show anyone my artistic attempts if I didn’t want to and I was not going to be critiqued or graded if I did choose to share.

After the two-minute poses we moved on to four, ten and twenty minute poses allowing us to get a little more detailed with each block of drawing time. The star of the day was our model Natalie Maria Clark who has been life modelling for over seven years, longer than some of us had been drawing, and her expertise was evident. Although she only moved to Hawkes Bay from Auckland in December Natalie is already a regular life model for many art groups in the Bay including the Napier Arts Club and the Keirunga Artists. As a professional contemporary dancer she has the strength, flexibility and control required to hold positions with a steady grace and make it look easy which it obviously isn’t. Her selection of poses - standing, leaning on a chair and reclining on a couch, which my table mate and I agreed was the hardest to capture - encouraged us to look at the human form in new ways. Life modelling has also helped Natalie see her own body in a different way, as a complex combination of light and shadow, as well as teaching her what her body is capable of. She finds it liberating to be nude in front of artists who appreciate her body’s form in a nonsexual context.

By Rebecca Norman

The three-hour session included several breaks which were very welcome for both model and artists. The deep concentration required for life drawing is akin to meditation so while it is relaxing it is also intense. I found my best results came from immersing myself in observing the form, lowering my expectations and resisting the temptation to override my instincts with overthinking - the classic creativity killer. All of my efforts were good practice and I did manage to do a couple of drawings that I actually like, an unexpected bonus.

There are two more life drawing sessions scheduled on Saturday 29th of June from 1pm-4pm and Sunday 21st of July 10am – 1pm but spaces are strictly limited so if you are keen, whether you are an accomplished artist or a complete newbie like me, you need to book a spot asap on 871 5095. I’m already booked in to the June session, now I just need to get cracking with the charcoals.

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