This was the last week of studio time in my classes. Next week we have individual evaluations and then that’s it. No more school for me. Unless things change. Which they might in the future. St. Mary’s University faculty are going on strike to protest mandatory retirement. Not NSCAD University. But still, things can change.
Meanwhile, I had a couple of very enjoyable classes this semester. Both groups worked hard and produced interesting work. This week we had models in both classes. In my Foundation Drawing class the model was older (than the students), probably in her fifties. These students have not, for the most part, had much experience drawing the figure, and I was surprised how they depicted aging. It was definitely not flattering. Mostly, they exaggerated the sagging body. Once I had a model who had had a mastectomy. Some instructors didn’t want to use her. But she was an excellent model; I’d known her for several years before her surgery. She was also older, in her sixties at the time. In one particular class, a water-based drawing class, the students did their best work with her. Their compassion showed in their work. They were also more experienced with the figure.
At their request, I also showed slides of my work in both classes, gave a forty-some year view of my own artistic search. One student asked where my ideas come from. That would take several hours to explain. Basically, I can say they come from other paintings I have done. One painting leads to another. There is an inner push within each painting to become another one, and another one. Or sometimes what is left out of one becomes another.
My figure drawing class had asked me to bring in drawings I had done of the figure. These were from the early 70’s when models were paid very little. I drew a lot, sometimes sharing a model, often on my own, and perfected line drawings where the figure is pushed beyond the edges of the paper. I have a large drawer full in my flat files and it was interesting going through the drawings to pick some to take in. I don’t look at them often and I found I liked them better than I remembered. I wouldn’t draw the same way now but I still enjoy them. And the students appreciated seeing them as well.
I feel very sad at the thought of not teaching next semester but will definitely appreciate more time in my studio. And who knows . . .
The work I'm doing with the archives is interesting, but I miss having students. They keep me on my intellectual toes!
Posted by: sue at December 7, 2006 10:01 PM