The beauty of the human form is being explored through life drawing at Parkside Art Gallery this month.
Entitled Body Experience: Life Drawing collects the cumulative works of five local artists who have practised life drawing together regularly for over a decade. One of the artists featured is long-time artist and gallery co-ordinator Barb Brown who said she has a passion for the art form.
"That's where I fulfill my need to create art. It's a way to be totally present and in the moment," Brown said. "You also have a relationship with that model. There's sort of a give and take."
Brown, along with her friends Didi Henderson, Patsy Granberg, Marion Boulter and Marilyn Unger, have been meeting together at Parkside Art Gallery for years to practice their life drawing. They tend to do six sessions every spring and fall with different local models. As a result, Brown said each of them has a collection of sketches, finished pieces and charcoal drawings numbering in the hundreds.
Life drawing is when an artist or group of artists get together to practice drawing a person undraped, or unclothed, in a variety of different poses. The artists intend to try and capture the likeness of the model in a short period through a series of sketches using charcoal, pencils and graphite.
"We have different styles here. I'm more of an impressionist, (Marilyn has a very idealist style), Patsy has this amazing skill at being able to draw and get that person, Didi is also an impressionist and Marion is probably one of the best drawers I've ever seen, just really quick," Brown remarked.
While Brown and her friends have done a life drawing show in the past, Brown said it was rather sloppy looking back on it. That's why she wanted someone from outside the group to come in and take a look at their work and curate the show. That person was Teresa Donck-Matlock, a former 100 Mile House resident who now works for the Kamloops Art Gallery.
"Meeting Teresa, after listening to her give a talk on impressionism and her ability to put it into a social context I went 'we got to get Teresa here at the gallery'," Brown explained. "I approached her and asked her if she was willing to curate a show and she agreed right away. It's been an absolute pleasure having her come in with her eye."
Donck-Matlock said this is the first time she's been asked to be a curator for a show, noting Brown was very kind to ask her to take it on. While an artistic person herself, spending her free time burlesque dancing and singing in a choir, Donck-Matlock remarked she isn't a professional visual artist but was excited to help Brown and her friends showcase their work.
"I think it's really special what they do here at Parkside. Just having a consistent life drawing practice for over 14 years and all women artists, it's really special to me," Donck-Matlock remarked. "What I'm really interested in is extending the work of artists doing incredible work both through showcasing their work and educating the public about art in general."
To curate the show, Donck-Matlock explained she wanted to uplift the ideas of Brown and her fellow artists. Before she selected the art she asked each artist what they wanted to get out of the show. From these conversations, she picked 40 different pieces that showcase the process of life drawing.
"The specific approach of this group is really expressive and very much about the in-body experience, which is why I titled the show that way," Donck-Matlock explained. "They really think about how they're present in the moment with that model and here at Parkside the models are really given a lot of agency, so their voices come through."
Brown noted Donck-Matlock has also included statements from three of the models whose likenesses are featured in the show. She said that the job of a model isn't easy as there needs to be a certain level of trust and repertoire between the artists and model right away. Being a model can be very vulnerable and over the years Brown and her fellow artists have done their best to make them comfortable.
As part of the show on March 9, Donck-Matlock, will be hosting a life drawing session in Parkside which she will moderate. She explained Body Experience: Life Drawing's intent is to show the entire process of life drawing, so including an actual session just made sense to her.
"I wanted to hold a life drawing workshop up here in the central gallery to show this is important work and also give people a chance to hear from the artists on how they approach their technique," Donck-Matlock remarked. "We'll have an undraped model for one hour posing for various lengths of time, really copying the usual sessions the artists are doing."
Space for this life drawing class is limited to seven members of the public, along with four of the artists featured in the show. Spaces cost $30 each with interested parties invited to contact Parkside Art Gallery to sign up.
Body Experience: Life Drawing officially opens on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and runs until March 15. Brown encourages anyone interested in life modelling to come out and see her and her friend's works.
"Just enjoy the form, the colour and our bodies," Brown remarked.
Donck-Matlock agreed, adding she hopes that the community comes away with a deeper appreciation for the art form after attending the show.
"Sometimes folks get really deterred by nudity and I think that's fair. It can trigger a lot of things in people. I think it's really important to remember it's not sexual in any way and is a longstanding art form which is super approachable if you can tolerate examining your own discomfort," Donck-Matlock said. "Once you become familiar with it, it's not scary at all."
