Drawing from Dance: Capturing Essence and Aliveness
Recently, I ran Drawing Beyond the Page: From 2D to 3D, a workshop inspired by Rodin, with professional dancer and experienced dance teacher Anna Paniotova as our model.
Anna brought such grace and joy into the room. She danced and held poses inspired by Rodin’s drawings and sculptures, while we explored capturing the essence of each pose through drawing and movement. At times, people found themselves moving with her, as well as drawing her.
It was wonderful to see how everyone responded in their own way. Some lovely drawings and little sculptures emerged, and there was a real sense of enjoyment in the room.
I am inspired by what happens when we step away from trying to get something “right” and allow ourselves to look, feel, experiment and respond. A line can embody movement; a drawing can become something three-dimensional; one idea can lead somewhere entirely unexpected.
Here’s a short film of some elements in the day and what’s coming next
Continuing the exploration — Colour Beyond the Canvas
I’m delighted that Anna will be joining us again for Colour Beyond the Canvas, a one-day workshop inspired by Matisse, on Sunday 29 November at The Colour Factory in Winchester.
We’ll begin with expressive drawing, exploring movement, rhythm and flowing line responding to Anna’s dance. Then we’ll create our own painted papers, using colour and expressive mark-making, before cutting and arranging shapes into compositions inspired by Matisse’s colourful cut-outs.
It will be another opportunity to experiment, follow our curiosity and discover what emerges.