These drawings all feature the life model Darren Martenstyn, who has worked frequently at NAS over the last decade. They were executed between 2014 and 2019 in life drawing groups, including Monday night sessions in this building.
Drawing a model over many years builds a familiarity that can be highly productive. For me, life drawing presents an ongoing private challenge to read and respond (in some unified form) to the inner dynamics and the external structures of the figure before me. It’s an endless but enjoyable quest to stay in touch with the senses and maintain a workable connection between mind and hand. Drawing the life model has been a reliable means for sharpening and maintaining some of the sensory skills necessary for more informed and developed image making, regardless of subject.
Normally these drawings would not be shown in public. They exist for the moment in which they are made but a display such as this provides a reminder of an evolving process and engagement.
Noel Thurgate
July 2023
