Tuesday

TK is unwell and not giving class today. We are all concerned for her. It is touching that even the young men in our group who have only met her once or twice are showing their concern. I book into life drawing with Alex. Calum comes too. The others seem unable to adjust quickly. Life drawing focusses on tone and shadow. I use charcoal. Working from the inside of the figure out, trying to capture the way the light flows around the figure. It is an intense couple of hours. I am lost in the effort. I forget that standing today will make me hurt tomorrow. I am pleased with the experience. To be fully present in dialogue between the charcoal, the model, the light. When I unroll the drawings in the studio I can only see the flaws. The leg that doesn’t work. The magic has evaporated. Alex was kind. I am amazed by her focus. She manages to encourage each of us and see where to nudge us to improve. Next week I will produce something better……..

Back to the workshop in the afternoon. I complete the branch rings to hold the honeycomb. Working with a different technician I am more comfortable with the process suggested. It seems much safer. I am more in control. I hope that I can remember how to use each machine. I stand for a further 2 ½ hours. I know when I sit that I have crossed into the discomfort zone.

Evening talk from TBWDP with M Lohun. A performative drawing piece with a circle of people joined together with 1 metre sticks and facing outward. A response to the COVID regulations for safety. The work is mesmeric I love the interplay between piece and the cello music that accompanies another artwork in the gallery. I absorb the work and the simplicity of the intention as well as the complexity of the experience. What is it conveying? Does it matter? I would like to have seen the final drawings without the performers made into a circle. What would it look like? More questions posed I don’t expect to find any answers. I am beginning to be comfortable with leaving questions unanswered.