A thirty minute painting

I took paints and canvas to the life drawing class last night and ducked out of my teaching obligations to please myself with a couple of fast paintings of the model.

Savonarola's Chair, the one the fanatics arse actually graced!!!

It's a standout fact that many people get onto this blog by googling Savonarola's chair.
I wrote a wee article about Savonarola's chair way back near the start of this blog and I'm not particularly interested in the man but in the way the chair reminds me of flames and it was in flames that Savonarola died.
Inspiration for a painting.
But so many are the folk who find their way here via Savonarola's chair that I thought it time I displayed a picture of it.

Enjoy.

Americans in New Zealand

A collage by my son Sam

It's a local legend. American tourists are famous for it and I have heard it from two different people who have met Americans here in New Zealand and they pretend to be Canadians.

Dear me! That's kinda beating around the bush I reckon, obscuring one's origins like that.

Last Saturday night I went to Chambers restaurant. I was invited to a private party there in honour of Leah's birthday.
A pyjama party.
It's getting on into Autumn and the nights can be a little chilly when there isn't a warm Northerly blowing and I said to Leah "well actually I only wear..."and she interrupted me with "I don't want to know what everyone wears to bed..." and I thought ooh how assertive, do I detect a glimpse of anger and passion ? mmm how exciting but of course being the polite people pleaser that I am what I said was "when I was a kid I had a check dressing gown with a multi coloured tassled cord to tie it and flannel pyjamas and tartan slippers and my Dad had the same and on Sunday mornings at 7 I would sit on his knee in the lounge and listen to the children's requests on the radio..." and Leah said "yes that's the kind of thing, get into the spirit of it"

So I did get into the spirit and some beer too and a jolly good time was had by all and I met some interesting people there including Anne and Andrew who had opened a cafe in Waihi recently and Andrew said that they had some Americans in their cafe for dinner one evening and when he asked them where they were from one gentleman said very fast, all in one word and in obviously practiced fashion, "we're from Texas and we hate Bush"
O.K. buddy, too much information but I see where you're coming from.

Actually I was cynically grateful to Mr. Bush for ensuring supplies of fuel for my vehicles even if I gotta pay extra for it (wars cost money and we all gotta stump up and pay the cost of whatever the American public decides is best for the whole world) but I lost my drivers licence and walk and ride a bike now so I don't give a damn--
--except when I remember the wonderful Iranian and Iraqi movies and art I have seen and the literature, novels and short stories I have read from those countries and then I get a little annoyed.

But what would you? 'Tis the way of the world and America has great movies art and literature too.
don't they?

Email to Sandra

Hey Sandra

I just looked at your visitor map. You are truly global, including Mexico and
South America and your stats are approaching 3000.

I hope we can still be friends now you've hit the big time.

Next time you are in New York attending an opening with your agent and minders I
wonder could you find the time to look at Nippon curios on 47th street?

It's the only place in the world you can buy a genuine 1960's New Zealand green
plastic tiki.
I would so like to have one if they are no more than $US400- each.

I hope that won't be too much trouble for you, I'd really appreciate it.

Last time I was at the dentists I got the chance to check out the National
Geographic photo article on you and your work again. God those photos are just
amazing aren't they? Yeah yeah I know you've probably heard that so many times
before from the hundreds of sycophants that seem to swarm around you and take
up all your time but you know dear the article on you in Women's Day that
mentioned your fan club didn't credit Barbara and myself for our part in
launching the fan club.

Well of course you had to help Barbie and me organize the spreadsheets and
database for the club back in the early days but the article didn't credit
Barbie and me with all our hard work and support on your behalf and Barbie is
so sensitive and I thought you would at least....you know the last time I saw Barbie
putting on that brave face it just broke my heart and I had to hide my tears....


O! Who can stay mad with you Sandra? I still remember the time you brought
Prince Charles and Yve St Laurent to visit your quaint old artist pal in little
old Waihi...a tad patronizing really but when Yve St Laurnents boyfriend
actually spat in my goldfish pond and Prince Charles hugged my Kauri tree -
well I'll never forget how proud I felt, this was truly the proudest moment of
my life and I owe this to you!
Just my luck the MI6 guys wouldn't let me take any photographs but once a nobody
always a nobody eh?

I guess it is just my destiny to walk with difficulty through the mud of my own
making but my way lit by the bright stellar radiance of your glory.

I am content

God Bless

John

Life Drawing

Here are some drawings that I have done at times when I was bored with the model. Drawing the nude figure is about learning to draw clothed people anyway.

I teach a life drawing class at our local high school, Waihi College. It is an evening class, a part of our local Community Education program and it is held in the drama room at the college. The drama room is a large space, carpeted, well heated and decorated with dozens of paper mache masks and other props and photos of drama students in all kinds of costumes, masks and makeup doing street theatre. It is a very creative atmosphere.

Aside from the various pieces of portable stage segments stacked here and there it is mostly an empty space where every Wednesday evening I trailer in a bunch of life drawing easels, large drawing boards and large sheets of various kinds of paper. For the first hour I set the model's pose and drawing exercises for the artists and then let the artists choose the model's pose and draw how they wish for the second hour. Here I get an opportunity to do some drawing myself if I am able to let go the reins and get into a drawing dream.

Maren, one of the life drawing students, said that she loved the zone she goes to while drawing the model, this is what I call the drawing dream. The class is very quiet with just the sibilant sound of chalk and pencil marking paper, if we don't have background music playing. After each pose I insist on every one, the model and the artists, moving around the room to look at what each artist has done. We all learn as much from this as from doing the various drawing exercises and for me this is a wonderful experience as every artist has their own unique signature style of drawing even when drawing the same pose in the same linear or tonal style.

The course fees are cheap, subsidized by the Education Ministry, but the models are not cheap as there are not many people who are comfortable with being naked in front of a dozen or so intently staring pairs of artists eyes and so we are happy to pay models well. Aside from the rarity of people who are comfortable with others seeing them naked, holding poses motionless for any length or time is physically demanding work.

We usually have some music playing during class but it has to be the right kind of music, to flow along with what Maren calls the zone and what I call the drawing dream.
Once during a life drawing class at my art school, years ago, we had a wonderfully buxom young lady model, a student of classical piano with masses of thick, long, wavy auburn hair. God! I love drawing hair, there is something so sensuous about following the lines and waves and tangled, shadowed curls while drawing hair......anyway our model had brought along to the class a tape of Liszt piano music which she put on the tape deck for us. There was something about this music that ruined my drawing dream, I don't know what it was, perhaps a sense of aggressive egotism to the music of Liszt, an intensity that was intrusive and drove me out of the class-- I could not work to it and to my surprise four or five of the other art students in the class followed me out, also unable to draw to the accompaniment of Liszt!

I liken life drawing to music practice. Like musicians we practice, practice, practice to get better and better at what we do but for artists the recorder is, so to speak, always on and some of the life drawings are truly beautiful works of art. Life drawings are immediate and drawn quickly and if not overworked and if they are drawn with freedom and assurance they have a freshness which demands a nice frame and a wall to hang them on.