After a long search, my husband and I found a lovely stone house in the Norman countryside. It has been three months now since we moved in and it continues to feel like a dream.
In moving here, we had hoped for a quiet space to work and to be closer to nature. I had pictured a somewhat solitary life, yet the most wonderful surprise has been finding a thriving artistic community.
I saw a poster on the wall for weekly life drawing classes, here in this small, rural town. I couldn’t believe it! Nor could I believe, when I turned up, that they were run by a British painter (not Hockney)! He is an eccentric, dungaree and straw hat-wearing fellow who knows the name of every wildflower and he has become a good friend of mine. Through him and these classes, I have learned a lot and met many interesting people.
In my last letter I wrote about online life drawing, and indeed until moving here, I had not been to an in-person class for several years. So, what was different? In some ways, surprisingly little. The element of timing is the same, and that’s a big part of it. And drawing is drawing, after all! What is certainly different, though, is that you have to tackle space - to put a 3D figure onto a flat surface, whereas online, the subject on your screen is already flattened.
But the biggest difference I’ve found is getting to know the models. It’s not something I’d ever experienced in life drawing classes at uni, but in this smaller setting, we tend to all become friends. That’s what was surprising for me: that drawing someone you know is different to drawing a stranger. You have access to something beyond what you see, and you try to capture it.
The classes take place in a small gallery in the upstairs of a haberdashery. Life drawing in the morning, then in the afternoon we go to people’s gardens to paint outdoors.
I have been helping in the gallery and even giving some classes myself, which is something I have never done before (except online). It is all very exciting and new and I feel I am learning a lot about painting and about myself.
Colour theory has been my focus in these classes because the topic absolutely fascinates me. It has been a great excuse to study it further myself. In particular, I have been re-reading two books by Johannes Itten and Josef Albers, who both taught at the Bauhaus. They are as fresh and relevant now as ever and I highly recommend both to anyone who is interested.
I am thinking about making a Skillshare class sharing what I know about colour theory. I know it can be an elusive subject, hard to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and that’s what I want to try to make easier - let me know if that’s something that would interest you!
And finally, finally, I’m delighted to announce that my online shop is now OPEN!
I have a selection of giclée prints for sale, including some new ones from my Brittany and Normandy adventures. I also have a handful of small original paintings for sale.
It is a joy to send my work out across the world, and now that my walk to the post office is through a lovely woodland path, I will look forward to it all the more.
That’s all from me, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!
Till next time,
Newbie reader/drawer/painter here, also a Skillshare member. I’d love a class on colour! And thank you for the newsletter. France sounds fab. I lived there for quite a few years but always in the city. I miss it.