David's Life Drawing

During the winter I regularly go to a life drawing studio at the "Ancienne Hopital" in Apt  -  it's the original old hospital that has been converted to house various activities, including the music school.  For the last 18 years or so a group have met in a room at the top of the building to draw from a model.  It's organised by Mario Roffler, a Swiss artist who lives just outside the town.

I first went there a year after the group started up, and after a long break (10 years!) started going along again last year.  I wasn't surprised to find that some of the original group were still going - and Mario as always sat in 'his' place.  Even some of the same models are still posing.  The atmosphere is very informal, anyone can just turn up and pay 5 euros.  There is no teaching, which suits me.

It is an excuse to draw for a couple of hours.  I don't have any particular aim in mind, I switch off and draw.

I only take along a piece of charcoal or a 3B pencil and white cartridge paper so as not to get bogged down with technique.  None of the poses are very long, 20 - 25 minutes maximum, which is plenty.

The drawings are not finished pieces, but are stored in a large folder - I am only really interested in the process of looking and drawing.  Sometimes I might focus on something specific like quality of line, or exploring volume, but usually I try not to think too much.

There really is a great pleasure in drawing - there is an appealing purity in excluding complications like colour, and just looking and responding.  It's a kind of meditation once you get past the resistance to starting.