Painting from Life
I take the train weekly to Barcelona with a small backpack of a limited palette of paint tubes, three brushes, charcoal, and a canvas. The stroll from Sant Just train station through the medieval streets of the Born district takes me past the beautiful Basilica Santa Maria del Mar, the Picasso Museum, and then left to the Museum of European Art where I walk up two flights of an exquisite staircase (the museum is housed in what used to be a nobleman’s palace) to the main exhibition room where life model drawing/painting sessions are offered. And then a very curious phenomenon occurs: I find a spot to set up my easel and art tools. There is some light chatting and camaraderie amongst the artists. The model settles into a position. I begin to draw. At first the room feels very full and crowded, then little by little the setting transforms, the room empties, and I am alone with the model. I no longer perceive anyone else. It’s only me and the model. It’s challenging, it’s intense, it’s amazing. “Body and Soul” is a result of one of the sessions.
"There is nothing as humbling as drawing, sketching, painting the human body. Young, old, middle aged, it is such a thing of beauty and wonder." Artist Mary Jean Mailloux
