In this presentation Lina Ivanova and Victoria Louise Doyle deconstruct their experience of life drawing to try and understand its impact on the process of learning, teaching and practicing.
Switching roles, taking the position of a learner whilst ‘teaching’ both in formal and informal settings has been a key part of my practice. Can one be both a learner and a teacher at the same time? In the presentation we will deconstruct our experience of life drawing to try and understand its impact on the process of learning, teaching and practicing.
Just over a year ago I attended my first life drawing session, just because I had never been before. I was excited but more nervous and anxious, doubtful in my own ability to draw. This conference provides an opportunity for me to unpack my experience of learning in that life drawing session and how that has impacted my practice since. I am interested in deconstructing multiple aspects such as the circumstances that enabled a process of learning to take place, how this newly gained knowledge has changed my approach, and reciprocally, the influence of this on the learners I face.
I want to share my experience of learning and teaching life drawing potentially for selfish reasons. I feel it is interdisciplinary, transferable skills crossing over from one realm to another. Life drawing facilitates a process of focus, concentration, measuring, recording - all skills with multiple benefits to gain from seem more fulfilling. The last session I ran ( the one in the garden) prompted me to consider how the sensibilities necessary for life drawing can be translated in other areas of practice and life to support a more immersive and accommodating experience for all.
This presentation was given at The Next Chapter: 2nd Artist-Teacher in Adult Community Learning Conference in 2024.