| Learning how to draw |
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Trying to get a handle on the illusive thing called drawing is one of the biggest barriers I had to overcome as a new young artist. I'm not one of those people that started drawing when he was 2. I was quite the opposite at age 22. I remember like it was yesterday because I was in university taking a full load of drawing and design courses and felt I was in way over my head. Pauline McGeorge who was the founder of the Lethbridge School of Fine Arts and took interest in (what I thought) was my total lack of ability to render anything much less a nude figure. She took the approach that many masters used and that was to copy other artists.
I traced, copied, photocopied and I was still struggling through those classes. "I'm getting worse " I said to Pauline, she encouraged me by saying she saw a vast improvement. I was sure she was lying. Everyone around me seemed to be making progress by leaps and bounds, not me.
We were coming up on the end of the term when one day I dragged my ass into a half day figure drawing class with huge apprehension and frustration. Pauline said this class will be a class where everyone will do their best drawing then we will put them up and critique them. I'm sure everyone saw absolute panic on my face as I began to draw the female figure in the middle of the room. Here I am hunched over this sad looking piece of paper with my pathetic pencil in hand trying to do MY BEST DRAWING. Pauline came up behind me looked and said nothing, then she walked around the room lit a smoke a headed back to me. What she said to me changed everything not only as a frustrated art student but as a person. "there's no such thing as a finished drawing you know" then she walked on. Well! I grabbed paper, did a 30 second drawing then move to another spot in the room. I was breaking pencils, using charcoal and pastels. I was tearing paper and the next thing I knew Pauline said your 2 hours are up. "O.K everyone find a place on the wall a put your drawing up". I didn't move. I had 30-40 large pieces of newsprint in front of me with all sorts of stuff on them but I didn't have a final drawing.
Pauline directed me to a spot on the wall right in the middle. I grabbed what I thought was remotely a drawing and put it up. Well the critique went on for about an hour when they arrived at mine. I didn't say a thing. Pauline directed one of the students to grab all of my drawings. Pauline began spreading them out on the floor, every last one for everyone to see.
"Dave had a huge break through today". Pauline's words still (almost 25 years later ) ring out in my head. She showed the class exactly where everything changed and I began to see. She was right, the drawings changed. They went from these heavy handed, labored drawings to these enlightened images that showed gesture, form, sensitivity of line and space. She then walked by me and said very quietly " you can see". I was fortunate to have such a great teacher but I also believe that anyone can draw, you just have to learn how to see. (Pauline would agree) Since my art School days I have pursued my art career with the purpose to share my art with people. I don't become attached to any one oil painting, or drawing because I know there will be more and maybe the work can provide some light in someone elses life. http://www.uleth.ca/unews/legend/content/lasting-images-pauline-mcgeorge-1930-2008 |
