Artists try their hand at drawing figures

The Thomas Crane Public Library is exhibiting work created in the Quincy Art Association's Life Class Open Studio. Titled "Body of Work," the exhibit is available for viewing until the end of December.

Zane Razzaq The Patriot Ledger

QUINCY – Drawing from life is a classic training protocol for all artists, according to Quincy Art Association instructor Kris Kreitman.

“For thousands of years, artists have tried to capture the human figure,” said Kreitman.

The Quincy Art Association’s been taking on the challenge for 20 years now. The group sponsors an open studio for artists to draw portraits and figures from a live nude model. For three hours every Tuesday night, a group of artists meet at the QAA building on High School Avenue to sharpen their representational skills. Instructors Kreitman and Dan Myers run the class together.

The Thomas Crane Public Library is displaying works from the open studio. Titled “Body of Work”, the exhibit can be viewed until the end of December.

The models in the class come from varied backgrounds, including a nurse, an opera singer, and fellow artists. Models are paid by the hour to hold a single pose for three hour sessions.

Chuck Foltz, an artist in the exhibit, said the artists form close relationships with the models.

“It’s a kind of vulnerability they set themselves up for,” said Foltz. “So we’re very protective of their safety and privacy.”

Bill MacDonald, a Quincy artist, agreed, saying the work would be impossible without the models.

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“You really come to appreciate them. Without them, there’s no art. This is a two-person show,” said MacDonald.

The artwork included in “Body of Work” includes a vast array of styles: from pencil, charcoal, pastel to oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting. That openness is what attracted Michael Ratcliffe of Easton.

“There’s certainly no one standing over your shoulder, telling you what to do,” said Ratcliffe.

As he normally works in watercolors, Ratcliffe used his time in the open studio to experiment with oils.

“To start, I was awful. It was really tough. But I realized every different feature -- the eyes, the nose, the hair -- is it’s own problem. Bit by bit, I set myself up to do it,” said Ratcliffe.

Artists of all skill levels are represented at the open studio sessions. Some are award-winning professionals with over 20 years of experience while others are novices experimenting with different styles.

Foltz said the sessions tend to be loose and casual.

“We’re always making jokes and laughing -- sometimes just to crack the models up,” said Foltz.

Zane Razzaq may be reached at zrazzaq@ledger.com.

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