This year the Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford is celebrating the human form with a series of exhibitions in venues around the city.  John Cullinan’s stunning charcoal drawings can be seen at Brunch Restaurant in Georges Court where you can also get a good coffee, Louise Flynn has her debut solo exhibition – Waiting for Summer at Port of Waterford Building,  Georges Street, Paddy Darigan and Fiona Byrne (that’s me) have paintings and drawings at the Index Gallery, City Library, Lady Lane.  RHA members Una Sealy, James Hanley,  Mick O’Dea are also exhibiting at Greyfriars Gallery.  For more information about these and other exhibitions see the Imagine website.

First Place 2011 Loiuse Britton Katrina, Oil on canvas panel, 16"x12"

Au Naturel is an international juried competition hosted annually by the Art Center of Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon, with a focus on the time-honored tradition of the nude human figure, an art form that continues to inspire and challenge many artists today as one of the most potentially rewarding subjects to explore. This exhibit represents a wide range of interpretations of the human figure from representational to abstract, and is open to all artists from around the world working in any drawing, painting, and printmaking media in which the handmade mark is employed as the primary means of image-making.

Deadline for Entry : Monday, November 7th, 2011

For information on how to enter download the Au Naturel Prospectus 2012 or see the website  Au Naturel : The Nude in the 21st Century.

Overcoming Shyness
There’s no need to feel shy or embarrassed at your life drawing class. Professional models are used to posing nude and being observed by the artist.. Poses should always be tasteful, You’ll find that you are soon so focussed on the problems of drawing the body as a collection of lines or values that you’ll forget any awkwardness about nudity.
What You’ll Need
You will need a drawing board ( also an easel if you have one if not you can improvise with a chair), and paper (usually large, inexpensive newsprint – for starters), charcoal, a eraser, and perhaps bulldog clips to hold your paper – but this may vary depending on the class, so check materials requirements when you enrol. Make sure you have plenty of paper. Its also handy to have some wipes or a rag to clean your hands, Some classes will provide easels.
Your First Class
Make sure you arrive on time to make the most of your class, and so you don’t disturb others. You’ll also feel more relaxed if you have time to chat with the others. Most life drawing classes commence with some quick warm-up sketches. Then they may do some longer five to fifteen minute poses. You may find that you are unable to complete a drawing at first. You’ll soon learn how much detail you can include for different length poses.
After the model has had a break, you will probably do some longer poses – thirty minutes or longer. Sometimes a class may do a very long pose, with a break in the middle.
Showing Your Work
Don’t be shy about showing your work, no matter how terrible you think it is you may get suggestions on ways to improve.
Remember than everyone was a beginner once, and that you can all learn from each other’s mistakes – and often even a beginner’s work has many wonderful qualities that can be enjoyed, as well. Try to offer constructive thoughts about other students’ work.

Euan Uglow was born in South East London he studied at Camberwell School of Art in London, then at the Slade.

Painting from life Uglow worked slowly often taking months or years to complete a painting, “When one model first arrived, she had a boyfriend. Later she married, and by the time I was done, she was divorced.” He measured up using a very precise method, using plum lines and chalk marks, the finished paintings are also covered small markings.  His use of planes and subtle tones of colour on the body is really beautiful, he liked to paint by day and draw at night  saying, “Colour under electric light is coarsened”

see more about Euan Uglow on Wikipedia

Alberto Giacometti (born 1901 died 1966)

Painter, sculptor, print maker

In 1934 Giacometti took it into his head to try and do some figure compositions.

“I needed to make quickly I thought one or two studies from life just to understand the construction of a head and of the whole figure, and in 1935 I took a model for a study that should take a couple of weeks and then I would carry out my compositions. I went on working from the model all day everyday from 1935 to 1940, nothing was as I had imagined, a head became for me an object that was completely unknown and without dimensions”

He mainly worked from two models his brother Diego and a female professional model. For the last thirty years of his life he confined his sculpture to three themes, a head, a male figure walking and a female figure standing, they are self contained and withdrawn and each of them portray some of the finest examples of human existence on this planet.

Fee: €70 the amount of nights that this fee entitles you to depends entirely on the amount of registration fees taken, it has always worked out to be very good value in the past

The weekly life drawing sessions are entirely non profit making

for more info contact me here or at art@darigan.ie or phone 086 4039569

Drawings & Paintings from Life

Opening reception this Sunday the 23rd of May at the Old Coastguard Station, Tramore at 7.30pm.

The exhibition includes work from 21 artists who meet at the Coastguard Station for Life Drawing Sessions and continues until June 27th.

Six hour life drawing session from 12 noon to 6pm

Fee: €35. Tea, coffee, sandwiches included

Female Bulgarian model with lots of experience past three years modelling for N.C.A.D. and United Artists, and prior to that six years of modelling in the Bulgarian Academy of fine arts

Poses: starting with a number of short poses then two half hour poses and finishing with a 4 hour pose.

You need to bring all your own art materials

for more info or to confirm your place contact: wexford@lifedrawing.ie
or phone Paddy 086 4039569