Unlike last year, when we were still in the icy grip of the so called Beast From the East, we were blessed with warm spring sunshine for the duration of this year's Stroud Life Drawing group exhibition. Consequently, gallery footfall was high throughout the week. Every year the standard of art on show seems to take a notch upwards and this is a testament to everyone's hard work and application to the challenging task of drawing the figure from life at our regular sessions. There was just enough wall space to hang all of the pictures submitted and I was delighted with how it all came together during the hanging. With a record 137 pictures covering the walls, it is always a logistical challenge to collect, move, unwrap, curate, hang and label the work of a growing number of Stroud Life Drawing artists but, with the valued support of group stalwarts, Liney, Jerry and Simon, it all happened smoothly and efficiently.
Thank you to everyone who turned out for Lifelines Private View on the Monday evening, making it the busiest so far. At one stage, the gallery was so packed that it was difficult for anyone else to enter, let alone see the work. As always with these celebratory social occasions, there was a very special buzz of excitement and a sense of shared achievement. It occurred to me that this is probably the only occasion during the year when the Tuesday group and the Saturday group actually get to meet, although the work does come together on this website. A big thanks to Jerry who made such a good job of taking most of the photos on this page. I do believe it is important to make a photographic record of the event, as the week whizzes by and the artwork is down again, as if the exhibition had never happened! Time is a funny old thing and the camera records the moment.
Artists were again invited to exhibit art done away from our life drawing sessions, and this resulted in a wide variety of work being submitted, including landscapes, still-life and a selection of 3D pieces, which were displayed effectively on a glass unit kindly brought in by Caroline. There were more portraits than ever before and this reflects the growing interest in Stroud Life Drawing's monthly portrait sessions. Drawing the human head, with its multitude of complex forms and planes, is a very difficult task and getting a recognisable likeness is even more exacting. It is though, this challenge which makes portraiture and life drawing so enjoyable, rewarding and occasionally frustrating. If it was easy I guess we wouldn't come back time and again to have another go! This inherent difficulty is what makes the very high standard of our exhibition all the more impressive and this was recognised by many visitors who know just how unforgiving a subject the human form is. I make a point of seeing the annual Hesketh Hubbard life drawing exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London, and can say that our show compares very favourably with theirs. So, a big well done to everyone who comes along to draw, takes up the challenge of the figure and shows determination to improve their observation and drawing. Well done and thank you too, to all of the men and women who have modelled with such professionalism over the past year or so; without your admirable willingness to hold sometimes difficult and limb-numbing poses, there could be no life drawing.
As always, there were simply too many excellent pictures in the show to highlight all of them but, if you'll forgive me, I will just mention a few! Thankyou to Sue for going to the trouble of framing up her large charcoal life studies. Accurate observation combined with a rich tonal range made them an unmissably 'punchy' centre piece for the main wall. It was also pleasing to include some very strong work by Kai and Rosie, two of our youngest artists, who show real ability and enthusiasm for the regular sessions: long may this continue. Other first time exhibitors include Tony Stuart-Brown, who has recently discovered the pleasure of life drawing, and James Robinson, who both showed their skill in a variety of different media. It was also a pleasure to welcome back familiar exhibitors and life drawing attendees, some of whom have been regulars since 2010. Jim's animal themed ceramics were much admired, as were Jenny Sutton's paintings of her mother and father. Tom's skilful life paintings in gouache were also a brilliant addition to the exhibition. It was also a pleasure to hang some of Karen Green's perfectly executed drawings which combine her deep interest in the figure with her passion for botanical studies. What a wonderful statement of female creativity/fecundity. Attending the gallery throughout the week I noticed that a few pictures were frequently singled out for praise by visitors and these include, Katie McEllin's exquisite study of hands, Chris Dann's striking portrait and Pam Harmer's fine drawing of a reclining female figure. Thank you to everyone who framed work and contributed to making this the best Stroud Life Drawing group exhibition yet; without your individual efforts it simple doesn't happen.
KEITH SYMONDS
KEITH SYMONDS