Sunday, February 10, 2013

When Torture Turns to Reward


2/10/13 Conte crayon
2/10/13 Conte crayon
The first and only time I took a figure drawing class, it seemed like self-inflicted torture. Drawing the human figure was (still is) one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, and for most of the time I spent in that intensive weekend workshop, I kept saying to myself, “I paid to do this…? Voluntarily? Of my own free will?”
But by the end of the workshop, I had started seeing just enough improvement that the torture turned into its own reward. I actually began to enjoy it.
That was about eight months ago. Since then, I’ve participated in several life drawing open studio sessions at Gage, and today I attended one at Anita Lehmann’s studio. There’s still an element of self-inflicted torture and the moment in every session when I think to myself, “I could leave anytime… no one is holding a gun to my head…” Yet somehow, I stay, and I always eventually get to that point when the torture turns into reward.

2 comments:

  1. How great that you are taking a class! I haven't done one in figures in a long time (35+years). You did great with the body proportions. Yes, you could have left...but we are brave. You go, girl!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joan! I guess I'm a figure-drawing masochist! ;-)

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