I have been one of those artists who went into the COVID lockdown thinking, “This will be great – I’ll have tons of time to draw, paint, write, etc.” And then – dry spell. I have always recognized the social aspect of art creating for me; I like to go to the open-studio nights or take classes to be among other people while creating, but I didn’t realize how much it is a source of motivation and inspiration for me. Without the opportunity to go somewhere outside my home and be among other artists, even in silence, as I draw or create led me to not really creating much at all.
I know art-making is very often a solitary experience, especially painting, drawing, etc. But I think COVID made me understand on a much deeper level how deflating it can be when you can’t get out and be among people and find those moments of inspiration that are so elusive, even in the best of times. So, it was a great joy to return to the Plastic Club in Philadelphia for an open-studio life-drawing session, more than a year after they closed for the lockdown. A model I had drawn before COVID was posing and many of the regulars that I hadn’t seen for over a year were all there – smiling, healthy, and all glad to be out again and among friends.
The Plastic Club’s policy was that we were all masked, even the model. At first, I was a little disappointed about the model’s face being covered. But, after finishing the drawing, I thought it was a nice snapshot of this moment in time; a strange moment when, even if we were among other people, there were still barriers put between us to make us feel safe. We felt comfortable being next to a nude model, and she felt comfortable being among other people while unclothed, all as long as this thin piece of material was wrapped around her nose and mouth.
I was afraid that after a year, my drawing skills would have suffered, but I was actually happy with this drawing, which is simply graphite on paper. It was reaffirming that I had reached a level where the skills I learned or the muscle-memory I had acquired after the few years I have been practicing now seem to be a permanent part of me, and it was nice to stretch those muscles again.
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