“For the artist, drawing is discovery. And that is not just a slick phrase it is quite literally true.” (Artist and writer John Berger, 2013.)
Join Dr. Mark Gilbert for a detailed exploration of portraiture – this course will challenge participants to apply methods of drawing from observation that seek to maintain a sense of curiosity, analysis and responsiveness to the subject being observed and portrayed.
Each class will begin with initial drawing exercises working from a live model. These exercises seek to take the participants out of their comfort zone and prior artistic habits. It is hoped these exercises and the observations they engender can consequently inform and be integrated into each participant’s own artistic practice.
In session 1, Mark will deliver a 20-30-minute presentation on his own portraits and explore his belief that painting someone’s portrait is a collaborative process. This will be followed by a short demonstration.
The remainder of the session will consist of a series of drawing exercises from the model, each different in their methods and seeking to enhance participants’ observations and comfort levels with uncertainty, culminating in a final 20-minute pose.
Sessions 2, 3 and 4 will begin with an hour of shorter poses and each of these sessions will culminate in a hour-long, final pose allowing participants to integrate their observations into their own sustained portrait study, or if preferred, participants may use these longer poses to continue working on shorter studies.
Learn more about the instructor, Mark Gilbert: http://www.markgilbert.co.uk/
Thursdays, 7-9pm • November 2, 9, 16, 23, 2017 (4 weeks) • Cost: $125 • UPDATE: FULL!
Age Group: this class is designed for adults and teens 16 and up with intermediate to advanced drawing skills.
About the instructor’s current project:
Mark is in Quispamsis doing a residency called The Face of Oasis: A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Youth at the KV Oasis Youth Centre as an ongoing project in collaboration with Dr. Wendy Stewart.
The KV Oasis Youth Centre in Quispamsis, NB, is a program modeled on youth mental outreach programs in Ireland and Australia (McGorry et al., 2007; Rickwood et al., 2015a; Illback et al., 2010; O’Reilly et al., 2015). This new centre aims to provide youth with primary and mental health care, relevant educational programs, and empower them to be active contributors and leaders in their communities. In order to provide appropriate education programs and supports, we need to develop an in-depth understanding of the challenges youth currently face in their daily lives.
This innovative project will use portraiture, created by MG, to give voice to youth’s thoughts and feelings about their daily challenges and stresses and the portraiture process itself. Qualitative data will be collected during the portrait creation and in follow-up interviews. Discussions during the portraiture process will be informal, and more directed during the interviews. The resulting art work and identified themes from the qualitative data will be used as a basis for planning educational programming and supports for youth locally and provincially. The portraits and qualitative data will be used in facilitated workshops, as an art display with key points for discussion for the public and other stakeholders, and in a presentation for government to secure further funding for the centre. This research has the potential to powerfully impact our understanding of youth in our own community. Visit the KV Oasis website here: www.kvoasis.com
