Los Alamos Life Drawing Group

Ken Nebel is a local children’s book illustrator and who supports the creativity of other artists by leading the Life Drawing Group.

Artist can use all the support they can get, because, let’s face it, creativity can be elusive.
Whether you’re born a creative person, or you’ve developed your talent through years of hard work, it’s all about practice. Stretching out, letting your hand go loose and your imagination fly.

That’s exactly what happens when the Life Drawing Group meets every Wednesday from 6:30-9:30 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am -3:00 pm. in the room above the Fuller Lodge Gallery. They use the sessions to get something on the page, right now.

There is no time for anxiety or analysis. As soon as the meeting starts they pool their money to pay the model; who takes a seat in the focal point of a semicircle. They prop painting boards and sketchbooks against wooden benches and line up their pencils and paint brushes.

Everything is ready to go. The subject is there. Natural light saturates the room. The CD player is stocked with schmaltzy jazz music, Spanish love songs, “Love Shack,” modern classical music and Mamma Mia.

Nebel sets the timer and the room hums with collective concentration. A paintbrush splashes in a cup. Hands and brushes fly. You can hear the whisper of pencils and charcoal against paper. An artist with a t-shirt spattered with orange paint holds her paintbrush in front of her eyes to check the symmetry of the model’s face.

The models come from all walks of life. Sometimes Ken even asks strangers. “It’s kind of weird asking people from off the street. I also ask my friends when they come to town.”

Actors and dancers are especially good, because they have discipline and their poses come naturally. They’ve had an acrobat/clown who posed nude. The models’ ages range from 13 to 73. They’ve come in from as far as Albuquerque. They’ve had a hippie from Cuba and a breakdancer covered in tatoos, piercings, and tanlines.

“The best thing about new models is that they don’t know if they can hold a pose for a long time and so they’ll try something different,” said Nebel. “Sometimes it actually works.”

There is as much of a variety of artistic approaches as there are models. Gwen, a model, said, “It fascinates me how different I can look through other people’s eyes.”

Some people are faster than others. Moving onto their second or third drawing before twenty minutes are up.

David Delano, who draws caricatures for parties and for companies, uses an elaborate easel that folds down to a wooden box full of half squeezed paint tubes, a can full of brushes. A paper towel roll hangs off the front. He’s captured the bright colors of Gwen’s turquoise dress and red hair.

Someone’s charcoal drawing makes her look older and sadder. Others focus on her bangs cut straight across or her hands, resting on her knees as if inviting someone to draw them.

Kathy Geoffrion Parker has been coming to the group since she was in high school. Back then there were nude models all the time but they had to get their parents to sign a permission slip to go. She said, “Sometimes when the models don’t show up we’ve had to take turns. Five minutes is a long time. It helps us appreciate the models.”

Being creative is like being in a relationship. To make a relationship work, you need to get together often. “It’s good to get together,” said Ken. “So many times I work on my own. Kathy challenges me. She’s gonna make me do 100 hands in a year.”

The life drawing group is getting ready for an exhibition October 16-November 21, called “Life Drawing Sketchbook”. It will be an informal exhibit showcasing work that captures the human form. The entry form is available online at www.artfulnm.org.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a show like this,” said Nebel. “I’ve got to show these people off. They’re awesome!”

To get more information about the Life Drawing Group, become a model, or to get email reminders of the sessions, contact Ken Nebel at kennebel@hotmail.com or 690-1715.