Earlier in the year, I registered for an Introduction to Drawing course through the local art school. The course consisted of twelve 3-hour classes that took place on Saturday mornings and I planned to miss out on the days that I was on-call at the hospital.
The first class was intended to loosen us up. We drew enormous, larger-than-life self-portraits using bright color pastels. I felt like I was in grade school again. I think the point was to do something that, absurd as it was, got us out of the idea that art had to be perfect. We learned to embrace our mistakes, learn from them and just draw over them with another color.
Over the term, each class differed in its focus. Some were more studious days pouring over shadows, light and negative space with still-life drawing. Others were more free-form, where we focused on flowing gestures, curves and volumes with figure drawing. We used a variety of media, including pastel, vine charcoal, Conte and ink.
Our teacher supplemented the lessons with art books that illustrated the concepts that we were learning. My favorite was a book of photographs by a young American artist named Francesca Woodman. Many of her photographs were planned ahead of time with drawings and had the feeling of classical paintings. She also brought a book from the local Basquiat exhibition, which demonstrated the energy and exuberance of this painter’s work. The course not only gave us a sampling of the possibilities of drawing but it also introduced us to the world of art.
Overall, I enjoyed my time immensely and our art teacher was excellent. Towards the end of the term, I got the sense that it was no longer working for me. Perhaps I did not understand her instructions or perhaps I felt the need to go off on my own tangent sometimes and this did not sit well with her. The feedback I was getting during the 9th class was largely negative and discouraging, which was a different tone from all of the other classes before it. I decided not to come back and continue to practice in my own time.
I’m unsure of what the next step is. While there are other classes that have piqued my interest (e.g. photography, painting, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, etc.), I would feel rushed if I were to dive into another medium without maturing my drawing skills first. On the other hand, there is no rush to improve my art skills. There is no deadline to meet. I can truly take my time and draw when I’m inspired to do so. With each drawing, I hope to learn from my mistakes and continue to improve, making art a life-long pursuit.
-LCTL
ART of SURGERY 