DRAWING

Through the perceptual process of figure drawing, this class explores the plastic language of the picture plane. The formal expressive power of the human figure is seen through the lens of abstraction. Daily drawing sessions, in a variety of media, take place with live models. The principles and concepts of abstracting the human form are based on the teachings of the influential artist Nicolas Carone. All model fees are included in class price.

This class is best viewed as a guided "laboratory", free of  pressure to produce accomplished works. Drawings are viewed as artifacts of attempts to see. The objective of the class is to search for an authentic visual language through  experimentation.  .  Drawing the nude will be used to explore design, composition, grey-scale value,  gesture, flow, negative space and other means to achieve plastic visual experiences.   This class focuses on essentials of drawing including opposition, transition, the use of repetition, symetry and deep seeing.   Formulas, fashions, trends, or novelty are out of scope.  Issues raised by noted teachers like George Bridgman, however, may be examined.  These can include wedging, passing, and locking forms, balance, rhythm, distribution of masses, and proportions.   Although students will discuss both contemporary and historical works, mostly, they will draw, draw, and draw again.  This class is about understanding, as opposed to  copying, what has been done before as a basis for working out optical metaphors.  The Lab eschews  distinctions between representation and abstraction. Instruction is provided one-on-one and in group critiques. Various  materials are explored. All levels welcome.

The workshop invites artists to engage with the ordinary - objects, gestures, spaces, routines - as a catalyst for artistic exploration. Participants will cultivate a sensitivity to the overlooked, habitual, and intimate, in order to enhance their engagement with the everyday, and create new ways forward in their practice. The four-week workshop unfolds in two parts. It will begin with a series of virtual solo and group critiques designed to introduce each artist's practice and generate critical discussion. The virtual sessions will foster community, help articulate questions, and lay the groundwork for future site-based inquiries. Following the virtual phase, artists will gather for a two-week intensive residency in the Umbrian Hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Immersed in place, artists will visit museums and cultural sites in Florence and Assisi to engage with and experience historic visions of the everyday while creating works that build on and reflect their practices and experiences. The residency will culminate in an exhibition. Throughout the workshop, select readings (from poetry to cultural philosophy and memoir) will serve as a thread, helping artists expand their practice and deepen their engagement with observation and the everyday. The workshop is ideal for artists working across disciplines and media who aim to enhance their practice through slowness, observation, and reflection.