Nude Life; An Autobiography in Life Drawings

 Paul Gatenby, 

This is the first life drawing I ever did.  You can just make out the date of 9 October 1988, I remember doing it quite clearly and I remember struggling with the relationship of head, neck and shoulders.  I kept drawing the figure too upright and didn't appreciate at the time how the human head comes forward from the body.  Interesting to see the horizontal lines drawn in where I was measuring 'how many heads' in the upright figure.  I did read lots of 'How to Draw the Figure' books back then.

This one was a few weeks later.  I was really pleased with it - it's quite a good resemblance and the hands aren't bad either.  And yes we really did balance electric heaters on upturned wooden stools. 

I'm won't mention any of the models names here for the sake of their privacy but many Liverpool artists and students will recognise this lady.  She worked at the Community College where I did my foundation when these drawings were done.

I went on to my Degree course which was almost a life-drawing free zone  (yes, I know!) but my obsession with the body continued.  I was working in sculpture and was enjoying playing around with materials; this was made from tin cans, copper draught excluder and scrap textiles.  (Sorry, Eve, it's long recycled and not wearable anyway)

After leaving college I had numerous jobs, community arts, youth work (honest!) and adult education before getting a job teaching life-drawing back at the Community College where I'd been a student! 

I enjoyed being a student.  I'd had a number of casual jobs in industry since leaving school and there's no  doubt that education was a life changer for me.  I now believe (it didn't really occur to me at the time) that that's why I went in for teaching after college - basically I wanted to continue being part of the educational process.

For my regular life drawing fix I became a member of the Liver Sketching Club , Liverpool's - indeed the country's - oldest art club of it's type.  I began drawing in ink around this time (mid 2000s).  Some Liverpool artists might recognise their old studio in Gostins Building in this drawing.

 

I was still sculpting and making figures in ceramic, it was around this time I sold some work in Edinburgh and I continue to have a working relationship with the EDS Gallery in Edinburgh which shows my paintings

This brings us almost up to date.  In 2016 Toc and I and several others founded Liverpool Independent Art School currently online only due to Covid restrictions (stay safe everyone!).  One of our projects is running jointly with Eve AKA The Queen Of Heartbreak. 

One of the results of this collaboration being this blog as well as The Liverpool Nude and an annual exhibition in 92 Degrees in Hardman Street, Liverpool,

Of course, I'm still life-drawing and, these days painting and print-making too.  

This (above) is a drypoint etching made on the LIAS press.  (there's a whole other story attached to the wonderful LIAS press which we'll tell you another time)  The drawing below was completed on one of our 'Live online Life Drawing' sessions (message us if you'd like to join us) and the painting below that needs no introduction.

Looking back at those early drawings it occurs to me that I have the same rules for figure drawing now as I did then (I think I invented these rules - don't remember anyone telling me).  Start with the head, neck and shoulders, include all the figure, get the hands and feet right, look at the anatomy, these are still my mantras - as many a former student can testify.  My basic approach hasn't really changed; my perspective on life drawing hasn't really changed either, it still feels like a privilege.